Shades of Gray
by Anidori-Isilee
Summary: A quiet, headstrong rookie Jedi Knight who's lost everything. A stubborn, independent ARC captain and squad who don't want her as their General at all. A potentially lethal mission. How will they survive?
1. Character Bios

Bios of My Major Characters

**Mera Xel (mair-ah chel):**

Rank: Jedi Knight, General

Looks: short (4 foot 10) and willowy, with light blue skin, big purple eyes, exotic elf-ish features and flyaway cream-colored feathers down to her shoulders in length.

Age: 19

Personality: can't stand being lonely (Omwati need companionship, so it's in her genetics); modest, friendly, quiet and stubborn, tends to think with her heart, and has a hard time letting people go. Very smart, has a photographic memory, and loves reading, cooking, drawing, and music. Attuned to the Living Force, and uses the lightsaber form Ataru. Her lightsaber blade is violet.

**Chet: **

Rank: Captain (ARC)

Looks: Same height as any other clone, about 1.8 meters. Tan, with black hair that's been grown out and normally tied back in a short ponytail. Brown eyes, but for this particular mission he's wearing green contacts.

Age: Normal years? About 11. Clone years? 22.

Personality: a bit of a pushover when it comes to the people he cares about, especially his squad; of course, he can't have everyone thinking he's a big softie, so he uses the big-bad-captain charade every now and then, but he's mostly all bark and no bite. Stubborn, and tends to go with gut instinct, not logic. Does _not _like the Jedi. Slow to trust outside of his squad. Hates rain.

**Lex:**

Rank: Sergeant, (second-in-command to Chet), and the squad medic (ARC)

Looks: blond and blue-eyed (eye contacts), paler than the rest.

Age: about 22 in clone years.

Personality: He reads anything he can get his hands on. Very cool and logical, always keeping his head in a crisis. He considers things from every angle, and is cautious and very commonsensical. He's one of those people you can tell anything to. A skilled medic.

**Sparks:**

Rank: Squad engineer/mechanic (ARC trained)

Looks: longer black hair and brown eyes, with a small scar on his chin.

Age: 21

Personality: very quiet and shy – he never speaks unless he absolutely has to or it's one of the very rare times he wants to – so his squad talks for him. He can work miracles with anything technological.

**Torch:**

Rank: Squad pyromaniac (ARC trained)

Looks: red hair he's dyed yellow and orange to mimic his one true love (fire) and green eyes.

Age: 21

Personality: Loves playing with fire, so things around him tend to blow up. He's actually pretty laid back and mild – or at least he is until he starts burning things. FIRE!

**Flash:**

Rank: Squad jokester (ARC)

Looks: three dark red Mohawks – one down the center of his head, and one on each side – and brown eyes.

Age:22

Personality: always thinking of new pranks. He loves teasing and playing practical jokes on his brothers, and loves fun. Hates being bored, and that's when he's at his most dangerous. That, and when someone's threatening his brothers.

**Darek:**

Rank: Squad jokester (ARC trained)

Looks: blond hair carefully gelled into spikes and brown eyes.

Age: 21

Personality: Flash's partner-in-crime and best friend, with an almost identical character. They do everything together. A magnet for trouble.

**Scout:**

Rank: Squad scout (ARC)

Looks: longer black hair and dark blue eyes.

Age: 21

Personality: very skilled at spying and scouting out ahead, with an eye for details. Polite and a quick thinker, a fast runner and agile climber. One of Flash and Darek's favorite targets.

**Vick:**

Rank: Squad rookie (ARC trained)

Looks: blue eyes and short black hair.

Age: 20

Personality: in awe of his older, more experienced brothers (he was just deployed from Kamino two months ago). He has a tendency to be by-the-rulebook, but the rest of Gamma's helping him get over that and be more open-minded. He's a little nervous and shy.

**Ace:**

Rank: Sharpshooter and weapons specialist (ARC)

Looks: closely shaved black hair and blue eyes like ice.

Age: 22

Personality: grouchy at best. Hotheaded and stubborn, with zero tolerance for stupid people and people he views as stupid. Loves his rifle, and upgrades and polishes it almost daily.

**Cade:**

Rank: Squad morale booster (ARC trained)

Looks: shorter dirty blond hair and brown eyes.

Age: 21

Personality: Optimistic and cheerful, encouraging and friendly. Open and honest. He's what you could call the cheerleader of Gamma Squad.


	2. Prologue: Nightmares

**Rating: PG, for some violence (it IS the Clone Wars)**

**Pairings: OCs/OCs**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, only my OCs.**

**Other Notes: This is my first Star Wars story and since I've only seen the movies, the TV series and read only a few Star Wars books, it might not be the greatest. Tell me what I can do to improve! All characters are my own****. Flames will be used to roast marshmellows. **

**This chapter will be one of the more violent ones, but nothing horribly graphic. It's sort of sad too, but the story will get better, I promise!**

_**Prologue: Nightmares **_

___It wasn't easy getting inside, but then again, when was it ever easy, especially when the place you were getting into was a droid factory crawling with tinnies? The plan this time was to infiltrate, set the charges, run like crazy, and blow the place up. _

_Simple – as long as you can accomplish it without getting blown up yourself. _

_Mera had a bad feeling about this mission. She had premonitions before, from fast-forwards in battle to dark dreams. Sometimes they were memories, friends killed, getting wounded, battles she'd lost – the nightmares of everyone who fought in the war. But sometimes, she knew what the future felt like. Not that she knew the exact details, but she knew that something was wrong. _

_Very, _very_ wrong._

_But there was no way to get around the assignment, and her Master had never been one to quit anyways. It was like running with her arms wide open towards their doom, but Mera forced herself to suck it up. Premonitions were always shady glimpses that could have a thousand and one meanings, nothing much to go on. It didn't have to be this particular mission. In fact, she was probably wrong. Her master said that you should never trust dreams, because they were sometimes just that, dreams._

_So Mera said nothing. No need to distract her Master when he was worried enough already. _

_They did the normal split-up routine when they made it into the factory by going through the garbage chute – Mera and her best friend, Captain Jas, along with her usual twenty-four others and Carth (her Master) with the rest. Carth smiled at her, probably feeling her unease, and ruffled her hair like he always did, even though she was nineteen years of age. Mera almost told him then, but she was scared; saying it out loud felt like would make it more real. _

_Her Master turned and jogged off, and her chance was gone. She took a deep breath and walked the opposite way, deeper into the factory. _

_It was heavily guarded, but it was guarded by droids, and droids were easily fooled and taken care of. In fact, by sticking to the lower levels, they managed to avoid most of them, since the lower levels were mostly used for storage and spare parts. _

_All in all, it was going smoothly._

_Too smoothly._

_Mera was so tightly wound by this point she jumped at her own shadow. She had never wanted to do anything more than she wanted to get out of this place. When they reached the second reactor room (her Master had taken the first), Mera had Tank, Les and Wings stand guard while she and the others set the charges._

_Jas tapped her shoulder when he was done, and Mera whipped around, almost slicing him with her lightsaber. Jas didn't mind, though. He just nodded in understanding, holding his Deece closer. Even her men felt that something was wrong._

_Mera finished as quickly as she could. Her breath came in quick, ragged pants, and even her Jedi exercises didn't help with the sense of impending, inescapable doom. Jas shadowed her like he always did, and she felt his and her troops' worry through the Force. She gave them a tight smile that was really more of a grimace and gave the signal to move out. _

_It was silent on the way to the rendezvous point, other than the regular factory noises that were muted by the walls. Mera was getting more and more freaked by the second, and finally it clicked._

_Her sweaty hand squeezed tight on her lightsaber hilt with dawning horror. Somehow, the Seps knew they were coming. They knew it as sure as blood and bones. It had been too easy. Mera had been too concerned with getting out that she'd failed to notice the obvious signs._

_Trap!_

_She mouthed the word to Jas, who nodded and relayed it to his command through the silent communication their helmets gave them. In an instant, twenty-five weapons were raised and ready to fire. They couldn't comm Carth's team from across the factory, since the Seps could get a fix on their signals, so they silently ran on, expecting droids to come clanking around every corner with guns blazing. _

_Mera knew it was already too late, but she pushed herself faster, ignoring the burning in her legs and the way her breath was starting to tear at her lungs. She could stop it, whatever it was. She could!_

_They reached the rendezvous point after Carth did, and Mera let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. They were all safe. All they had to do now was get out._

_Suddenly doors hissed open, and Mera felt her heart stop. Line upon line upon line of battle droids and tanks filled the rooms beyond. There was a heartbeat of silence, then the air came alive with smoke and laser blasts. _

_Lines of clones were mowed down in an instant, and Mera cried out as ten life signatures were snuffed out of the Force without any warning. Then her Master was there, yelling orders to the survivors of the first volley, and they were running, running down the corridor to the garbage chute that led out. Mera and her Master were at the rear, deflecting blaster bolts while the men ran in front, every few steps turning and giving cover fire._

_Then Mera felt a surge in the Force, and a millisecond later her Master jerked. His lightsaber fell out of his hand and clattered to the floor, and he fell, his long brown ponytail covering the smoking hole that suddenly appeared through his back. Mera screamed as the bond between them buckled and shattered, and she forgot the battle, forgot her men, forgot anything but her Master. She flipped him over onto his back, his empty green eyes staring vacantly at the ceiling, and tried to lift him, but her tiny size and weight along with a grazed leg meant that she just tugged vainly at her Master's arms. _

_Hands grabbed at her shoulders, and Mera, blinded by hot tears, felt Jas through the Force. She ripped away from him and kept trying to lift her Master. She couldn't Force-levitate him, because his body would be riddled with more horrible holes in seconds and she'd have to walk slowly and concentrate. But she wouldn't leave him for the droids to dispose of. He would never leave her. She wouldn't leave him! _

_Padawans followed and helped their Masters everywhere. A Master-Padawan team grew close and trusted each other above everything. Carth had been her Master for ten years. Their bond had been strong enough that they could sense each other's location and even their emotions; now there was a blank spot where all that used to be. All of it gone in an instant._

_Jas snatched her arm and yanked her away. _

"_There's nothing you can do!"_

_Mera sobbed and struggled as he pulled her away, her Master's body being trampled beneath hundreds of metal feet. Jas spun her around, stared her in the face and shook her shoulders. _

"_We're all going to die, Mera, if you don't run! Run!"_

_Mera woodenly stopped writhing and obeyed Jas' command, flinching as another man dropped. Run. She could run._

_Jas shoved her along when she stumbled over numb feet that didn't move the way she wanted them to. Jas yelled encouragement over the furious sounds of the firefight, tugging on her hand. Then he was gone, and Mera whirled, trying to find him in the chaos of smoke and screams of dying men._

_He was standing a few steps behind her, staring down at a hole through his chest. He met her eyes through his helmet and slowly fell to his knees. Mera was shrieking in the terrible agony that was ripping her apart from the inside and raced to Jas' side, slinging his arm across her slim shoulders. She didn't care how heavy he was, she would carry him. _

_Her mind suddenly flashbacked to her Master, crumpled on the ground. She reeled with horror as she realized how she'd abandoned her Master, and she pulled harder at Jas. She wouldn't leave him! She wouldn't let her best friend get crushed under unfeeling machines, she wouldn't abandon him like she did to the man who meant more to her than a father and a brother combined. _

_Jas shook his head. _

"_Run…."_

_He slumped over his blackened wound, and Mera felt another life be sucked out of the Force. _

_Jas was gone._

_Shot through the chest and dead, like her Master._

_No! No! No!_

_Mera didn't have the voice to scream anymore. Nothing, nothing could begin to describe the emptiness and loss that tore at her heart, the horrible vacuum as more and more lives were destroyed. Mera wanted to shut her eyes to block out the horror around her, but adrenalin relentlessly pumped into her system, keeping her senses so sharp that she felt every dreadful death._

_Out of the fifty brave soldiers she'd come with, not even ten survived. _

_It was that thought that cleared some of the numbness, lifted some of the fog in her brain. Mera staggered to her feet, Jas' arm flopping limply to the ground. She drew her lightsaber again, dropping into a fighting stance. She would make sure those last eight lived._

_She screamed at them to go, to run, just like Jas did before he was slaughtered, but they stayed her side. Tank grabbed her arm and jerked her backwards, his seven brothers forming a circle around them. _

"_We're not going to leave you here to die! We'll run, but you're coming with us," Tank shouted over the noise, and as much as she tried to break free, to explain that if she didn't cover them, they'd be massacred, Tank's grip was like iron, and he dragged her if he had to. She couldn't wield her lightsaber, because she'd cut her men in half. She couldn't Force-push them away, because they'd be killed in instants._

_She gave up and turned her head, watching Jas vanish in the smoke, her eyes dry now. No tears could express the pain. _

_One by one the men dropped, until only Tank, Wings and Les were left when they reached the shaft. As the droids started to pour down both ends of the hallway time slowed to a blur, words were muffled, blasters made no sound, and the only noise was that of one of the clones – Wings - being shot in the stomach and letting out a scream that seemed to stretch on in pain for an eternity. Mera tried one last time to tug away so her men, her friends, her comrades would escape. _

_But Tank lifted her up and unceremoniously dumped her down the chute._

"_It's been an honor, sir," Mera heard him say as she slipped unstoppably downward, the muck coating it speeding her fall. She cried out, her voice echoing against the metal walls, and tried to grab onto something, anything, but there was nothing but slime and smooth metal walls. She tumbled out onto a pile of droid parts and felt her side explode in pain, only then realizing that she'd fallen._

_It was absolutely silent, like there was no battle raging above it like Mera knew there was. Mera ignored the pain and stumbled to her feet, bolting for the chute, but it closed with a hiss just before she reached it. She pounded her fists on it, but only succeeded in bruising her hands. She prepared to use the Force to make it open, but then the last life signature flickered and died. _

_No…_

_Mera understood nothing but that there was nothing to go back to. She was past feeling. She moved to the hatch that released the garbage out of the factory and over the cliff it was built on top of and Forced it open. She ran to the safety point, about a mile away, and stared down at the building, its brown walls glistening in the rain and smokestacks reaching for the sky._

_She didn't know if the droids had found the detonators. They'd set up plenty in plain sight, but hid others, so that if the droids found the unhidden ones they'd most likely think that those were the only detonators and not bother looking for more. If so, the ones they'd hidden would be enough to give off a very satisfying KABOOM._

_She closed her eyes, the pouring rain she'd only just noticed soaking her to the skin. Lightning flashed in a jagged line, and thunder roared as she raised her finger and pressed the button. The explosion seared across her eyelids and mingled with the thunder._

_Mera opened her eyes and stared down at the smoldering wreck of twisted metal that used to be a factory. Even the rain couldn't douse the fires that raged from the blast. _

_Finally, with a massive effort she tore herself away and began the long walk to the hiding place of their cruiser. _

_She sat at the controls, turned to ask her Master something, and everything finally hit her with the force of a large freighter. _

_Her Master. Jas. All her men. Gone forever. Her fault. If she'd told them, maybe they wouldn't have tried the mission. They'd still be alive. _

_It was her fault they were gone forever and she was alone._

_Her fault!_

I jerked awake, the last echoes of a scream fading, and I shuddered. My hand flew up to touch my face in that I'm-real-and-all-right check, and it was wet. My breath hitched in my throat.

_Rain. Pouring rain. Grey smoke against a stormy sky, ashes falling like snow. Stench of scorched metal and burned skin. Pain, horrible pain, not the outside kind but the kind that tore apart your insides._

I clutched at my head and shook myself. No. I was not on that planet, I was in my room at the temple. It wasn't raining – I was crying, I realized.

_Crying as Jas tugged her away. Crying, hot tears scalding the scratches on her face from shrapnel…_

No, no, no, no! "No!" I was _not _going to think about that!

I groped around for my radio and turned it on. Music gave me something to focus on and it always helped with the nightmares, although I didn't sing along or dance to it like I used to before the nightmares started.

It was only three in the morning, but that was the new norm for me. I rarely slept, and when I finally dropped from exhaustion, I had the nightmares about that mission.

No, mission was too nice a word. Maybe horrible abyss of agony? Too long…basically, a dark nightmare of the kind you never, ever wanted to have.

Something niggled at the back of my mind, something important was going to happen…oh, I was going to meet my new command. That's right, I remembered, I was a Knight now. It wasn't the event I'd thought I'd be happy about, though. It felt empty, more given out of desperation than any real accomplishment. It was wartime – they needed Jedi generals more than ever, I was of age, and no Masters were available at the time, so what else could they do? I didn't blame them exactly, I just sort of expected my Knighting ceremony to have more satisfaction and pride to it.

I didn't really want a new command either. For obvious reasons – it was my fault my troops had died, and I have…issues (i.e. nightmares.)

Anyways, since I was up, I might as well get packing.

I didn't want to dream again.


	3. Day One: We're Brimming with Joy Here!

**Rating: PG, for some violence (it IS the Clone Wars)**

**Pairings: OCs/OCs**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, only my OCs.**

**Other Notes: The POV will switch around a lot, mostly between Mera and Chet, but occasionally other members of Gamma Squad too. These first chapters will be a little boring, just a heads-up. Most of the action will come in Part 2. Part 1 is when Mera and Gamma Squad are getting to trust each other more and stuff.**

**_Day One: We're Brimming with Joy Here!_**

* * *_** Chet**_* * *

Name: Chet. ARC. Captain of Gamma Squad, the proud victor of countless infiltration missions and fights. Capable of turning a piece of bread into a lethal weapon. Stubborn, independent, distrusting to everyone outside my squad, maker of mean flatbread, which are also the only things I don't burn to a crisp. Disliker of the "all-powerful" high-and-mighty Jedi (you catch the sarcasm there?). Trained to survive at all costs, to think my way out of virtually any tight spot I can get myself into.

That's me.

At that moment, you could've added "seething mad" to that list. Reason? See above: disliking Jedi.

My squad and I had a pretty clean track record on getting the job done and getting it done well. We'd always done perfectly fine on missions ourselves. So why had the Great and Amazing Jedi Council suddenly assigned us a Jedi general – and a rookie one at that? Mera Xel was a newly (emphasis on _newly_) made Jedi Knight. Yeah, I was sure she had _some _experience, but the last thing my squad and I needed – or wanted - was a cocky, arrogant girl who thought her access to the Force made her invincible and superior to clones, which is basically what all the Jedi I'd met seemed to think.

You could say I was being unfair, since I hadn't even met the girl yet, but all my experiences with Jedi only proved me right, and you'd be surprised at how tired you can get of people thinking you're an unfeeling, obedient machine and treating you as such.

Trust me, it gets old. And you know what they say: expect the worst; then you won't be surprised.

So there I was, waiting for the girl to arrive for our first mission together (oh, joy.)

Normally, the mission we were assigned - find a Force-sensitive kid and take her to Coruscant - would only take a single Jedi. Usually, the council waited for the kid to age a little, too. But Tellarus was a Trade Federation planet, with droids running around all over the place, and the Council hadn't forgotten the time the Seppies had kidnapped Force-sensitive children.

Originally the plan had been to get in, get the kid, and get out. But by the nastiest stroke of luck, when scouting out that way, one of my men - a clone aptly named Scout – discovered the kid lived in the most droid-guarded region on the whole planet, in the middle of a new slave community.

Freeing one kid and abandoning the rest to miserable, back-breaking lives was just wrong. So, the new plan was to free the slaves, and if possible the planet itself. Yeah, I know, it made the job a whole lot harder, but what can I say? I aim high. And after all, a team of nine ARCs and ARC-trained soldiers = a small army, and a team of nine ARCs and ARC-trained soldiers + a Jedi Knight = force to be reckoned with (no pun intended.)

We could pull it off.

The downside was that nobody outside Gamma Squad (namely, the Jedi) knew the new plan or even about the slave community issue, due to the whole jammed-communications problem. Sparks, the mechanic/hacker/techno guy in Gamma Squad, was working on it and I had no doubt he'd get through eventually – nothing kept Sparks out for long - but the key word was "eventually." The Trade Federation had done its job nicely.

Oh well. If the Jedi didn't like the new plan, she could deal.

Even mentally ranting to myself, I was alert – a result of years of training, being shot at and nearly getting blown up - so I saw the dull metallic glint in the sky almost as soon as it appeared. I checked my chronometer. Unless it was a Federation ship, the freighter - the only way on or off the planet - was arriving.

Time to meet the new girl.

Whoo-hoo.

* * * _**Mera **_* * *

Mera Xel, Jedi Knight, General in the Grand Army of the Republic, and new commanding officer of Gamma Squad.

It made me sound a whole lot more intimidating than I really was.

In reality, I was a 4 foot 10, 19-year-old Omwati girl with the trademark light blue skin, feathery threads for hair, big violet eyes, elf-ish features and the willowy physique that made me look like a single good gust of wind would knock me flat. I was quiet, had never really gotten the hang of the no-attachments rule, and had my species' brainpower and highly developed sense of family and friends (basically, companionship) that contrasted with a fear of crowds. My hobbies: reading, cooking, drawing, music. Basically, I was a nerd.

All in all, I wasn't what most people expected, especially for a General in charge of some of the best soldiers in the galaxy.

Come to think of it, even I wasn't sure why I was assigned to Gamma Squad. They seemed to be doing fine on their own, and besides, Gamma Squad deserved a better commander, a non-rookie one who wasn't broken inside and didn't have issues with nightmares and was way cooler than I was.

But when Mace Windu gives you The Glare, even if it _is _tinged with sympathy, you shut up.

I guessed the Council figured a mission would be a good way to help my get over what…happened last time.

I felt like death every time I thought about it, but no matter what I did to try to forget, it kept coming back. My master, my men…The Council Knighted me after that assignment, for something along the lines of courage and completing the mission single-handedly when everyone else had…passed on, yada yada yada. I hadn't been really paying attention to their explanation at the time. I didn't think I deserved the promotion, anyways; I figured they just didn't have the time to give me a new Master, or a Master to give me.

I shook my head, shoving all depressing, Master-related thoughts to the back of my mind, and reviewed my new mission.

Omwati had great memories, so it wasn't hard. I didn't even need the datapad with the assignment info I had tucked into my duffel bag.

Mission: Find and deliver a Force-sensitive girl named Kassee to the Jedi Temple, without dying.

Game Plan: Pretty much just that.

Team: Captain Chet, the medic Lex, mechanic Sparks, Scout, Flash, Torch, Darek, Cade, Vick. They had whole files on each of them, but I only memorized their names. It just sounded rude to me, looking over everything they've done from the second they were created without their permission. It was like someone reading a book on everything about you. It made me feel like a creep.

Location: Mesana, a town on the planet of Tellarus – a dim, dreary, scrubby place that rained nearly all year long. Not good for my already flyaway hair; humidity made me look like I'd stuck my finger in an electric socket…plus, I hated rain, it made me remember memories I'd do anything to forget…anyways, back to business.

Potential Issues:

a) Tellarus didn't get a lot of visitors – not many people are dumb enough to come to a Seppie-controlled planet – so if you _are_ one of those visitors, you get noticed and attract attention.

b) The fact that it's a Seppie-controlled planet. The Trade Federation isn't exactly the Jedi's Number 1 Fan. Plus, there's the ever-present risk of getting blown up or shot to death or captured.

c) ARCs were supposed to be really stubborn and independent and members of the Haters of the Jedi Club, which might throw a wrench in the whole teamwork aspect.

d) My own problems…nightmares, insomnia, and the experience that caused said problems…

f) The planet itself. Quicksand, swamps, never-ending rain…you get the picture.

This was going to be a great mission. I could barely contain my enthusiasm.

I almost jumped when the speakers crackled to life. The pilot announced our arrival, sounding even more bored than I was, if that was possible. I peered out the porthole (of course I claimed the window seat) but there wasn't much to see or really any visibility at all, what with the rain streaking down it. I flipped my sketchbook closed on my unfinished drawing and carefully tucked it into my duffel bag, then gave another glance out the blurry window.

The town didn't even have a hanger for the freighter to land in, just a cobblestone town square surrounded by little shops shaded by awnings that might have been brightly colored a hundred years ago. Strangely, a few locals were up and about; I guess pelting rain grows on you.

Two burly guards in faded yellow uniforms abandoned their drinks under one of said shops and walked forward just as the freighter landed. The locals scurried off in fear, and within a few seconds, the streets were deserted.

My hand instinctively squeezed the strap of my bag. No sane Jedi goes anywhere without their lightsaber, and I had a few extra belongings that also might be my ticket to a torture cell.

I was still pretty sure I could take these goons if Plan A (not be recognized as a Jedi) didn't work, but war teaches you something:

If something can go wrong, it probably will.

* * *_** Chet **_* * *

I took another sip of my caf, keeping one eye on those guards and one hand resting casually on the blaster I'd hidden under my cloak. If they made the tiniest threatening move…well, let's just say they wouldn't be able to move again.

Much as I hated it, I'd have to help the General, even if she was the one who got herself into a fix. Duty and all that.

I glanced over at the ship again. Unless there were two Omwati girls on the same ship going to the same place at the same time (unlikely) then the General had just disembarked. She looked miserable as she stepped off, getting soaked within seconds and her pale hair instantly starting to fluff up. She hunched over her bag protectively until one guard carelessly ripped it out of her hands and unzipped it, while the other scanned her for suspicious items, using one big hand to forcefully shove her around.

Force, where did these guys grow up? Someplace where they fed kids raw meat and beat each other with sticks.

The Jedi let herself be pushed around like any other scared immigrant, and didn't protest at the rough treatment her possessions were going through. Then the man riffling through her duffel (I called him Bag-Searcher) froze.

His companion (Scanner-Man) glanced over. "What'd ya find?"

Bag-Searcher held up a silver cylinder, a little less than a foot long.

A lightsaber.

_Oh, Force! _

* * *_** Mera **_* * *

I fought down panic and waved a hand, nudging the two men's minds with the Force. "It's nothing, just a hand warmer. You can forget about that," I said calmly.

Their expressions went blank. The guy going through my bag nodded to the guy searching me, putting my lightsaber back. _Phew. _"Justa 'andwamer. We can forget 'bout that," he told his partner.

Well, since I was already on the mind tricks…"You're done searching me."

"We're done searching 'er."

"I'm just another nobody," I continued.

"She's justa 'nother nobody."

"You can forget about me."

"We can forget 'bout 'er."

"Now let me go."

"You can go."

The one searching me shoved me away, and I slipped on the wet stone and went sprawling. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one man leap up from his table and stalk towards the guards, almost sparking with fury. Apparently, the Goons didn't see him, because they laughed harshly and threw my duffel at me instead of running away in terror. I dove for my bag and managed to snatch it before it landed in a muddy puddle.

Still roaring with amusement, the Goons swaggered off just before the man ran up. Without taking his eyes off the guards, he offered me a hand up. After a second of hesitation, I took it and hauled myself to my feet. I tried to wipe some of the mud off me, but I only smeared it in worse, and my side was one massive, throbbing bruise from the Goons shoving me onto the stone.

I looked over my shoulder at the guards (who were still cracking up), and for a second, I wanted to show them just what my "'andwarmer" was. Like, wave it in their big ugly faces so close they could feel the heat of the blade singing the hair on their necks. Or better yet, levitate a table from one of the cafes around the square and send it flying straight at them, then make it whack them on their thick heads a few times.

Let's see them laugh at _that_.

But Jedi don't bash people (even bad ones) with tables or threaten them with lightsabers, so I closed my eyes, took some deep breaths, and let my anger build, then fade away like I'd been taught. Shaking a few of my feathers out of my face, I let go of the man's arm and fumbled with my bag's zipper so I could fish out my cloak.

I really hoped - for the man's sake – that he wasn't another guard of some sort, because I was _not _in the mood to be searched again.

* * *_** Chet **_* * *

The General shot me a suspicious look as she slipped on her cloak. I couldn't blame her for that – the first people she met had thrown her in the mud. That tends to make you a little distrustful.

Plus, I didn't exactly look like a clone – I'd grown my black hair out (it was tied back in a short ponytail) and I had green-colored contacts on. Instead of my armor, I was wearing a nondescript tunic and pants. No one would know what I really was unless I told them.

"I'm Chet," I said. I decided to go with my name first. If she didn't recognize that, I'd tell her my number, Alpha-9.

She blinked in realization and stuck out her hand. "Hi," she said, raising her voice (high-pitched and musical like Omwati voices were) to be heard over the rain.

I stared at her hand, half-afraid I'd crush her slim fingers. But if she insisted…I hesitantly took her hand. Mine completely dwarfed hers, but she still gripped my hand firmly. She had war hands, rough with calluses and lined with scars, I noticed.

I let go of hers as soon as politely possible.

"Hello," I replied shortly.

"I'm Mera Xel."

I had to bite back an 'I know'.

"Nice to meet you," the General said sincerely.

I raised an eyebrow in surprise and suspicion. She didn't even ask for my number - most people didn't care for my name (or even realized I had one), and much less said they were glad to meet me. In fact…no one did, outside of my brothers.

Not that I didn't like being recognized as a person, it was just felt…new. I wasn't used to people reacting that way. And as far as I knew, she could just be trying to get me to like her, but I'd met some suck-ups before and she didn't seem like one.

Either way, I don't hand out friendship like candy. She wouldn't find my trust that easy to gain.

I turned away from her. "The ship's this way."

**So, what did you think? Review please! **


	4. Of Clones and Shaving Cream

**Here's Chapter 2, hope you guys like it! **

_**Day One Continued: Of Clones and Shaving Cream**_

* * *_** Mera **_* * *

I waited for a minute, but apparently Chet didn't talk much. Or explain much, either. "Ship?" I asked. I knew the coordinates of the base and all, but I didn't know it was an actual ship.

"When the Seppies took over," Chet explained, "they grounded all other ships besides the one freighter and started taxing everyone and kicking people out of their homes. So, the people who owned ships they could no longer fly got an idea – what if they rented them out as cheap living spaces for the people who didn't have a place to live anymore?"

"Pretty good idea," I agreed. "But why didn't people just fly off anyways? Just because it's a rule doesn't mean people won't do it."

"That's what people did, until the Seppies finished rigging up an electronic barrier around the planet. You fly too high, and BAM."

"…Oh." I winced.

"Yeah. So, anyways, we're renting out a smaller-size freighter. It's got privacy and all the other perks."

I waited a second, but he didn't bother to go on. "Perks?"

"Kitchen, rec room and stuff," he said shortly.

Okay, Mr. Silence, I can take a hint. Force, he probably thought I was the biggest twerp in the galaxy, me with my questions…but then again, I knew next to nothing about this mission, and that was like setting off a flare, waving my arms and screaming, "Here I am, trouble! I have no idea what to expect! Come get me!"

The unknown can kill. Trust me…I know.

So I tried to talk myself into believing that I didn't care what people thought about me and spoke up. Again. "Okay, so wha - who're they?" I pointed to a group of men who'd suddenly appeared around a street corner ahead, and were now walking straight towards us.

While carrying electrostaffs. And wearing nasty smiles.

Oh, dear.

Chet only confirmed my suspicions. He grabbed my arm. "They're a patrol. They work for the Seps in return for money, power, and the pleasure of beating people up. Don't act like you're in a hurry. Walk hunched over. Cover your face."

We did all that, but it wasn't like the patrol had anyone else to go for. The few locals I'd seen around had all scurried away when the freighter landed, apparently scared of the two searcher guys.

The patrol swaggered straight up to us, and one beefy guy with greasy hair held his not-yet-activated staff in front of us, barring our way.

"Well, well, well. Look whot we got 'ere, boys." The rest of them all leered and chuckled darkly.

"What're you doing out 'ere, punk?" their leader, who I'll just call Grease-Bucket, continued.

"We don't want trouble," Chet said quietly, shifting his stance so that he was in front of me. "We're just going home."

"'Ome, eh? And you wan' us to letcha go, huh?" Grease-Bucket cackled.

There was no way he was going to let us go of his own free will. I sighed to myself. The mind tricks had been hard enough the first time - as a person's physical condition deteriorates, so does their connection to the Force, and I wasn't exactly in top form from lack of sleep and such. But even though we could take the patrol blindfolded, a streetfight was not very high on my To-Do list.

I concentrated hard, squeezing my eyes shut, and raised my hand. I felt for his mind – eww, it was _nasty_ – and gave it a nudge. "Yes. Let us go," I said, embedding my words with the Force. "You want to go home and rethink your life."

Grease-Bucket blinked, then meekly lifted his staff out of our way. "We'll letcha go. I want to go home and rethink my life," he said meekly and walked away. His fellow henchmen glanced at each other in confusion, but reluctantly followed thier leader.

Phew. I let my hand drop and my concentration slip, feeling drained but relieved that I'd done it again. Mind tricks are tricky, and you never know if they'll actually work. It had sort of backfired with the searchers, me getting thrown in the mud and all, but at least this time I'd managed to avoid another shoving.

Chet was watching me warily. "What was that?" he asked.

"Mind-trick," I said, too tired to get into detail. "Only works on the weak-minded," I added at his expression. "so you're safe. Not that I'd use it on you anyways. Promise."

He hesitated, then nodded and relaxed a bit, but he was still tense. I couldn't blame him – I'd react the same way if someone told me they could mess with people's brains.

I swayed a little. Force, I hoped the ship was close. I didn't want to collapse in the middle of the street and do another muddy faceplant.

* * *_** Chet **_* * *

I decided to let the whole I-can-influence-your-mind thing go – for the moment. For one thing, it would only cause problems if I refused to let it drop, and second, if what the General had said about it only working on weak-minded was true, then me and my men were safe. I vowed to bring it up later, though, and have her try a mind-trick on me – just to be sure.

Her light blue skin was turning grayish with exhaustion, and the dark shadows under her eyes were even worse. I felt slightly reassured - if mindtricks were so draining, then chances were she wouldn't try one on me. Yeah, I know, unfair, assuming the worst, judging before I got to know her, blah blah blah. Like I said before - always expect the worst, so you won't be surprised. It's one of the unspoken rules that have kept my squad and me alive.

I had to admit it, though, I was grudgingly impressed – I could've taken those guys with one hand tied behind my back, but it would've attracted attention and avoiding a fight is always good. I just hoped the General wouldn't pass out and I wouldn't have to carry her to the ship. That would be a tad awkward.

I released her arm after a second, making sure she could stand on her own, and hurried us on. Thankfully, the ship was close – it was parked in a small hanger, the only ship in it, and the hanger was only about a half-hour away from the town square where the freighter landed. Well, probably closer, but as usual I took lots of turns and twists to confuse anyone who might be watching or following us, which most likely added a good fifteen minutes.

When we reached the hanger, I told Mera the code and tapped it in quickly. The door shuddered and slid open silently. Good work on Sparks' part – when we first moved in, the door was so squeaky, it sounded like a loud, twenty-foot-tall, really, _really_ angry demonic mouse.

Thankfully, the General hadn't fainted and seemed somewhat better. Although she still looked bedraggled, the rain had washed most of the mud off and she didn't look as tired.

"Ladies first," I said and stepped aside, waiting for her to go in before getting out of the rain myself.

The hanger wasn't exactly in top condition. Dusty boxes and rusty wires and parts were stacked to the ceiling in places, and where the lights hadn't burned out, they were dim and some were flickering. The ship itself – a YT-1300 named the _Dragon's Wing_, although we just called it the _Dragon _or the rust bucket – wasn't much better. It was…well, no need to sugarcoat, a pile of junk that looked like it would collapse any second. Even if the Seppies hadn't banned other transports, I wouldn't fly it if my life depended on it. I don't have a death wish.

I watched the General's expression out of the corner of my eye. She blinked, but that was it. I was a relieved - a temper tantrum about how she was a Jedi and deserved better would put a damper on my day – and surprised: I'd expected a heavy sigh at the least. My approval of her went up a notch.

We weaved around piles of garbage until we reached the _Dragon_, and I tossed a casual salute at it. Sparks, being the technological genius he was, had rigged up disguised cameras facing the hanger door, its four sides, and all around the ship, as well as setting up an alarm over the door, so he'd see us, see my salute and know everything had gone according to plan.

After keying in another code on the touchpad by the ramp, it activated and opened with a hiss. The General walked beside me, her eyes darting around and taking everything in. She was observant, I'd give her that.

We stepped inside the ship and I nearly gagged. _Holy Force!_ The General slapped her hand over her nose and coughing once.

The _Dragon _absolutely reeked of burned food. I guess dinner was going to be extra-crispy black steak with a side of charcoal again. I sighed, then choked on the smell again. Bad idea, Chet.

I decided I'd let the ramp stay open to air out the stench. With Sparks' cameras and alarms, we'd know if so much as a fly got in, and I did _not_ want to be breathing L'odeur de Burned Steak in the rest of the day.

After a few seconds, the smell got better as it started to waft out the ship, and the General recovered and started looking around again. Thankfully, the inside of the _Dragon_ looked better than the outside. The walls and floors and ceiling were made of the same gray metal, it was well-lit, and it was clean - well, as clean as a ship lived in by ten men would get - and we'd accessorized our cabin doors with posters and stuff, so it wasn't totally colorless.

The quiet was suddenly brutally murdered by someone shouting.

"FLASH! DAREK! I'M GONNA KILL YOU GUYS!"

The General jumped at the shout, then grabbed my arm and yanked me back just as a white glob sailed past my face and splattered on the ground. Two of my squad – Flash, judging by the dark red Mohawk hairdo, and Darek, guessing from the blond hair he carefully gelled into spikes – sprinted past, not noticing us at all. They stumbled to a stop a few yards away, cracking up. Flash was laughing so hard he was crying.

"Priceless!" Darek choked out. Flash nodded helplessly, clutching his sides as he laughed.

Yup. This is my squad. The best of the best, we are. I had to resist the urge to facepalm.

Then another of my men, Scout, charged around the corner. His _very_ angry face and longish black hair were smeared with more of the fluffy white cream – _shaving_ cream – and he had one hand raised threateningly, filled with more ammo.

"You – you -" He froze midstep, staring at the General with wide eyes. A lump of shaving cream slid out of his hand and landed with a wet splack. Flash and Darek (who had ducked around the opposite corner to avoid retaliation) cautiously poked their heads around, wondering why their victim wasn't attacking, and finally saw me and the General.

Darek swallowed.

All three of them quickly formed a line in front of us (Scout discreetly wiping his handful of shaving cream off behind his back), posture ramrod straight and eyes staring straight ahead into the middle distance. "General!" they said in unison.

The General bent down and poked at a fluffy white hump with the tip of her finger. "Shaving cream, huh?" she asked.

"Sir yes sir!" they chanted.

She straightened up. "Good prank," she said appreciatively. "At ease," she added.

I don't know who was more surprised – me or the others. Flash's jaw had dropped.

"I pranked my Master using shaving cream once," The General said, almost to herself, staring at the shaving cream on her finger thoughtfully. "Boy, did he get revenge. Filled my sleeping bag with it."

Flash and Darek smiled. They had to appreciate a good joke, even coming from a Jedi.

"So, what're your names? Names, not numbers," she repeated when Scout started to give her his designation.

They looked sideways at each other warily, confused, but obeyed.

"Scout, sir!"

"Flash, sir!"

"Darek, sir!"

"Good to meet you." The General raised on eyebrow at Scout. "I'm guessing you do reconnaissance and scouting missions?"

Scout nodded.

The General nodded. "We'll definitely need your skills." Scout grinned, pleased. "Flash, what is your specialization?"

"Jetpacks and aerial tactics, sir!"

She raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Wow. Nice." Flash blushed happily.

"Darek?" The General asked.

He spoke right up. "Pilot, sir!"

"We'll be using your talents for sure." Darek held his head higher.

"Why's there so much variety in your squad?" the General asked the three, curiously.

"Because you never know when you'll need a certain skill. We all have our own specializations," Flash answered proudly.

"Smart idea."

"They call us out for bigger missions, where the smaller squads of four wouldn't work," Darek continued. "Like now."

She nodded. "You've got a very good reputation," she complimented. All three of them beamed.

A clump of shaving cream fell off Scout's face, bringing the General back to the matter at hand. "Okay, so who started it?" The General asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Scout mutely pointed at Flash and Darek.

"Would you mind cleaning this up, then?" she asked them. It was only fair. "And bringing back some fans to help clear the air?"

"Way ahead of you with the fans, sir," Darek said fervently, and Flash nodded. They saluted, spun on their heels and trooped off to go find a mop, bucket and fans. Funny, because they'd never sounded so cheerful when I'd told them to go clean up one of their pranks or go fetch something.

"You can go wash off, and join them afterwards," the General directed Scout, meaningfully nudging the lump of shaving cream he'd thrown with the tow of her boot.

He nodded, saluted, then jogged off.

"Come on, I'll show you were your room is," I muttered. "So you can clean up. You can meet everyone else afterwards."

She opened her mouth, about to protest, then sighed and glanced down at her muddy, sopping wet tunic. "Good point."

I told her about the ship as we went, so she'd know her way around. Basically, the _Dragon_ was built around a central core. A circular corridor looped around it, and rooms could be mounted around it. The way this particular ship was set up, starting from the ramp and walking clockwise, was: the rec room, the med bay, captain's cabin (the General's room), the cockpit access corridor (which obviously led to the cockpit), boarding ladders and escape pod one, cabin one, the engineering bay, cabin two, more boarding ladders and escape pod three, cabin four, and the kitchen and passenger's lounge. The central core (also starting from the ramp and walking clockwise), had the observation deck access, the laundry, the circuitry bay, and the refresher that me and my squad shared.

It was a good ship – a little pressed for space, with so many rooms, but like I said earlier, it had all the perks.

Then we reached the captain's quarters, which Cade had tidied up for her. It was bigger than the other cabins, with only the one bed (we had to squash three beds each into the other cabins) and she had her own refresher, too, while all ten of us clones had to share one. I tried not to feel resentful; it wasn't really her fault. She hadn't ordered us to do this for her.

"Thanks, Chet," the General said before going inside, jerking me out of my thoughts. "For picking me up and all. Back in a flash," she promised and her door hissed shut behind her.

I stared at her door with a mishmash of feelings.

For one thing, I was hurt. Scout, Flash and Darek had barely glanced my way during their whole conversation. The General steps into the picture, and my best friends, the guys I've fought beside for almost three years, ignore me.

Then, I was mad. See the sentence before last? The whole General-stepping-into-the-picture thing? Yeah. It's like they don't trust us to be able to handle missions on our own anymore. It stung pretty bad. I'm not trying to sound like I'm complaining, but I was a captain for nearly three years, a leader who didn't have to answer to a higher-up, and suddenly I have to listen to a 19-year-old girl who has never commanded a team by herself before. That doesn't tend you make you jump for joy.

Third, I was glad. The General was different from every other Jedi I'd ever met. From what I saw, she seemed to genuinely slightly care about the men under her command. The Shaving Cream War issue – she didn't boss them around, she asked. She made them feel wanted, she called them by name and not their numbers, and she seemed to somewhat know what she was doing. If Gamma had to have a general, I wouldn't ask for anything less.

Last but certainly not least, I was confused, for pretty much the same reasons I was glad. She didn't seem like a mystical Jedi. More like a normal 19-year-old girl…or at least as normal as a 19-year-old fighting in a bloody war could be. Odd...

Something dropped with a clang from around the corner – probably Flash or Darek dropping a fan – and I jerked out of my thoughts. I hurried down to the passenger's lounge, where we hung out when we weren't doing conditioning, mission stuff, etc. If my brothers caught me staring at the General's door like it had the answers to all the mysteries in life, they'd think I was finally off my rocker. Flash and Darek would tease me about it until the end of my clone-shortened life.

So not what I had in might for the next decade.

**Catch Obi-Wan's line from Attack of the Clones? I couldn't resist putting it in. Anyways, was it good? Bad? Reviews = happiness. Chap. 3, when Mera meets the rest of Gamma Squad, will be up right after this.**


	5. Gamma: Awesome & Only Slightly Insane

******So, here's the introductions chapter! Hope you like it...**

_**Gamma: Awesome and Only Slightly Insane**_

* * *_** Mera **_* * *

I leaned against the door and sighed, pressing my hands over my eyes. I wasn't an idiot – I knew no one wanted me here. Chet was practically radiating resentment, along with the other three soldiers I'd met.

I couldn't blame them; I _had_ been sent to basically take over their squad (even though it hadn't been my decision to do so), and what kind of self-respecting soldier would be nice to me for that? I hadn't been happy with the decision myself…I hadn't felt like doing much of anything after – no! Not going to think about that. Not going to think about that….

Casting around quickly for something to distract me from the depressing turn my thoughts were taking, I pushed off the door and looked around my new room.

There wasn't much to distract myself with, but I managed. My room was bare, with only the necessities. A small bed, with space under it to store belongings, was pushed up against the wall, the mattress thin but a whole lot comfortable than sleeping on bedrock with only a cloak as a layer between it and you. The blanket was a standard tan color, and the pillow was a clean but faded white. There was a nightstand next to the bed, with a chronometer on top. A small door, most likely to a refresher, was next to the nightstand, and against the opposite wall was a small desk and chair. The room was pretty well lit by glowrods.

Best of all, it didn't reek of burned meat.

I promised myself to brighten it up later with some of my drawings and tossed my duffel on the bed, fishing out my standard red and gold jumpsuit and shower stuff. I'd better hurry if so I didn't make my new men wait and make them hate me even more.

Maybe someday they'd get used to me, I hoped. I didn't want to be treated like a cold, evil tyrant forever. I wanted a friend…but then again, everyone I got close to tended to get blown up or shot, so maybe it was for the best.

You love, you get hurt.

* * *_** Cade **_* * *

ARCs are in men in peak physical condition; fearless, independent, smarter than most everyone else. Virtual one-man armies. Men who carry more weapons than a first-rate armory. Men who took risks daily, who could die anytime on lethal missions and didn't care one bit. We literally got every good trait there was in the gene pool.

Unfortunately, cooking was not one of those traits.

The whole kitchen reeked of burned meat. The steaks I was attempting to grill looked more like twisted lumps of black charcoal that anything remotely edible. I groaned, resisting the urge to bang my head against the wall since it would probably hurt for days if I did, and giving myself a splitting headache was not at the top of my To-Do list.

I carefully took the hunks of smoking black steak off the grill with a pair of tongs and dumped them in the waste bin, then hurried to check the loaf of bread I had baking in the oven, praying to every deity I'd ever heard of that it hadn't met the same fate as the steaks.

It had.

Head, meet wall.

I sighed to myself. Looked like ration bars for dinner…again.

I admitted total defeat and took off my apron, tossing it on top of the counter. None of us can cook, except for Chet and his flatbread and Lex and his Panna cakes, and you can't exactly live off flatbread and Panna cakes. I fished out a handful of ration bars from the pantry and set them next to the apron, sighing. But hey, at least we had something to eat, right?

I left the kitchen –making sure to turn the stoves off, I didn't want a repeat of Torch's try at dinner – and joined my brothers in the passenger lounge just as Chet got there. He didn't look too happy, but then again, none of us were, with the whole General situation. But we were stuck with her, like it or not, and it was no use moping. Even with my optimism it was hard to find an upside, but who knows, maybe she'd be different from other Jedi.

* * *_** Chet **_* * *

All my brothers were gathered around the coffee table as usual. Torch was burning a napkin with a lighter he'd bought just for the purpose of setting things on fire, Ace was polishing his gun with a sullen expression (no surprise there), Sparks was tinkering with some device, Lex was reading. Vick, the new member of Gamma Squad, was listening to the radio, and Cade was coming out of the kitchen with his characteristic grin, smiling even though dinner was destroyed. The guy can see the silver lining on even the darkest stormcloud.

And there were Flash, Darek and Scout, who grinned and called out like the rest.

Nice to know they remembered I still existed.

"Still alive?" Lex said with a smile, setting down his book.

"You tell me." I slumped down in an empty chair with an irritated sigh. Lex shot me a questioning look. "The rain," I explained (although it was actually the least of my worries.) Constant rain tended to make me tense and short-tempered - it reminded me of Kamino, a place I wanted to forget.

Lex gave me a sympathetic nod. He understood; we all hated the place.

"It's raining?" Flash asked.

"Are you surprised?" I muttered.

Flash got this look on his face, a devious little smirk that said quite clearly _I'm going to do something I know Chet won't like at all. _Alarm bells went off in my head.

"If you make the ship flood again, you can sleep outside," I warned. "After you do two hundred push-ups, sit-ups, and a five-kilometer hike _with_ all your gear on."

Flash pouted, but thankfully his big-innocent-puppy eyes didn't work on me. I still shuddered at the memory of when he flooded the ship last time.

"Fine," Flash muttered, crossing his arms over his chest in a huff.

"Salvage anything from dinner?" I asked Cade half-heartedly. I was pretty sure I already knew the answer.

Cade shook his head. "No." I knew it. "But at least we have ration bars," he pointed out.

There was a collective groan, but Cade was right. It could be worse.

"And the kitchen's not on fire like last time," Cade continued.

Torch blushed to the roots of his tousled shock of red hair, which he'd highlighted with orange and yellow after his favorite plaything (fire). "Hey, that was an accident!" Flash and Darek snickered, and Lex raised an eyebrow. If possible, Torch turned even redder. "Or at least most of it was."

There's a reason the guy's named Torch.

"You're the reason they tell little kids not to play with fire," Scout teased. Torch huffed, but he can't hold grudges for more than a few seconds and soon joined in the laughter.

"The pick-up go well?" Cade asked.

"Yeah. We ran into a Sep patrol-"

The mood changed in an instant, the air charging with tension."What happened?" Lex asked tightly, cutting me off.

"Do we need to hunt them down and kick some patrol butt?" Torch asked, cracking his knuckles.

I loved my brothers. We're a family. Granted, a sometimes loud, dysfunctional family, but that's how families are.

I grinned. "No need. I think the General took care of them." _Go home and rethink your life. _I was still cracking up inside.

"How?" Torch asked.

"Jedi mind-trick."

All nine of my men stared at me. When they saw that I didn't seem worried about the whole brain-controlling thing, they relaxed a bit. Actually, I _was_ a little freaked, but I think the General meant it when she said they wouldn't work on us, and besides, a Jedi's nobleness ought to keep her from doing anything fishy.

Lex raised an eyebrow. "Guess she is the real deal."

"Guess so. Everything fine here?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Same old, same old," Lex replied. "Sparks did his thing and managed to hook up the alarm system to his comlink so we don't need to have someone staring at the security camera screens all the time. Flash and Darek started the Clone Wars Two, Shaving Cream-Style, and Ace threatened to use them for long-range target practice. Torch almost burned down his bedroom. The usual."

There was a quiet pause, then Torch spoke up. "So, what's the General like?" he asked, half curiously, half warily.

"She sure doesn't seem like a Jedi," I said. I was still confused about that.

"She was actually sort of nice," Darek agreed.

"Pretty, too," Flash interjected.

Scout rolled his eyes. "She's a Jedi, Flash, and a general!"

"Yeah, but don't you think she was pretty?"

"Fine, yes she was, but that's not the point -"

Lex interrupted before thins got out of hand. Flash and Darek love tormenting Scout, the poor guy. "So, what's this about her being nice?" Lex asked.

"She was friendly, and get this - she actually asked for our names," Darek said.

"Really?" Vick asked, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

"And guess what, she knows pranks!" Flash broke in again.

"She seems okay," Scout said. "But…"

"It's only the first day," Torch finished for him, guessing what he meant. "You can't tell yet."

Cade put in his two cents. "We'll just have to see how she turns out. And you know, those Force powers could come in handy."

Ace snorted. "We've never needed them before, and we don't need them now."

"We may not need them, but they could help," Cade insisted. Ace just rolled his eyes and continued cleaning his rifle.

Silence.

"When is she gonna show up?" Vick asked.

"After she cleans up," I replied.

Torch sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Oh. In that case, we'll be waiting forever while she puts on make-up and all that other girly stuff. Lex, you got an extra holobook I could read?"

"I know you. You'd burn it just to see how long it takes to catch fire!"

"Hey, that was only once!" Torch protested.

"No way."

"Aw, come on!"

* * *_** Mera **_* * *

I clipped my lightsaber onto my utility belt and shot a glance at the chronometer on my nightstand. Phew – getting showered and dressed in under five minutes wasn't too bad.

Since I had a little extra time, I allowed myself a minute in front of the mirror. I frowned at my still-damp feathery hair and half-heartedly combed through it with my fingers, but it stubbornly stayed windswept and flyaway. I didn't want to waste time drying it, and it wouldn't make much difference anyways, so I just pulled it into a knot and fixed it in place with a hairclip.

I peered at my face next. The dark shadows and boniness were getting worse…

I frantically threw up mental barriers against a flood of dark memories, things I never wanted to see again, then took several deep breaths, emptying my mind like I was taught.

After a few seconds, I felt…well, not better, but more in control. I looked at my face again, blocking all other thoughts. I guess I could hide the dark circles and stuff with make-up…but as I had no make-up, that presented a bit of a problem. And besides, make-up itched.

Nothing I could do about it, so I finished getting ready, yanking on my good pair of knee-high dark brown boots, and left my room, the door hissing shut behind me.

I stood in front of it for a moment, using the Force to try to find everyone since Chet hadn't told me where to meet them. They were all grouped together…in the passenger's lounge (since I had a photographic memory like most Omwati, remembering the ship's layout wasn't an issue). I headed that way, my boots making soft thumps on the floor.

I stopped right outside the lounge. Yeah, all of them were in there. I swallowed and closed my eyes for a second, taking a deep, calming breath. Me, anxious about meeting my new command? Never. I forced down my nervousness and knocked lightly on the wall.

Ten heads whipped around. Ten eyes widened, then narrowed. Gulp. "Hi," I said.

They all made to get up, and I hastily added, "Don't bother getting up for me. At ease."

There was a pause, then my squad slowly sat back down. They were all stiffly perched on the edges of their seats, staring straight ahead with carefully blank expressions. I felt more like an outsider - an _aruetii_, to use Mando'a - than ever.

I half-wanted to bolt, the anger and resentment so thick I could almost taste it. I didn't even have to try to sense it. But then my stubbornness kicked in, and I refused to back down – no way, no how. I lifted my chin, walked farther in and sat on an empty chair. "I've already met Flash, Darek, Scout, and Chet. Who're the rest of you?" I asked. "Names, please."

A blond and blue-eyed clone started off. "A-one-"

"That's not a name."

He blinked. "Lex, sir!"

I pointed to the clone next to him, a guy with green eyes and red hair highlighted with orange and yellow. The bright colors left spots on my eyelids when I blinked, but once you got over how vivid the colors were, it actually looked cool. "You?"

"Torch, sir!" He pointed to the clone sitting beside him, a clone with longer black hair and brown eyes. "And this is- "

"Sparks," Sparks said. He had a really quiet voice for one of his stature. My squad blinked, and Sparks gave a slightly embarrassed shrug.

Torch tried to get his act together. "Uh, yeah, Sparks, sir. He doesn't talk much. At all, really."

Sparks shrugged again and nodded. I was surprised - why'd he talk to me, then, of all people? "Nice to meet you," I said, and he smiled.

The clone next to Sparks, who had short black hair and blue eyes and looked about two years younger than the rest of his brothers, went next. "Vick, sir!"

Next were Flash, Darek and Scout, who all nodded at me. I nodded back. "Thanks for cleaning the mess up," I thanked them. On my way to the lounge, I'd noticed the floor was spotless again.

"No problem, sir," Darek said proudly.

The next-to-last soldier had closely shaved black hair and blue eyes like ice. "Ace," he announced, glaring. He #!*% his gun with an ominous click.

I tried not to feel intimidated. I failed, but refused to show it.

The last guy, who sported shorter dirty blond hair and green eyes, introduced himself. "Cade, sir."

I nodded at him, then looked around at my new squad. "Nice to meet you all. I'm Mera."

They glanced sideways at each other, and I could feel their surprise. I hoped I hadn't just made a mistake.

The clone called Cade spoke up, trying to relive the tension. "Sorry, sir, but I sort of messed up dinner."

He failed - the tension got worse. I felt ten pairs of eyes on me, waiting to see my reaction. I tried to ignore them and focus on the problem. "Can you cook?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Not at all, sir. None of us can, sir," he admitted shamefully.

"Oh." I stood up. "Then I will."

Ten jaws dropped. Cade blinked. "Uh, sir, you don't need to cook for all of us, we've got ration bars and stuff -"

"But I _want _to," I corrected. I really did - I enjoyed cooking. And ration bars…bleck. I wasn't going to subject me or my squad to torture like that.

He tried again. "Sir -"

"Persuading me to let us eat nutritious sand for days is not going to work, Cade."

Chet raised his eyebrows. "General, we eat a lot."

My lips quirked upward, and I felt a jolt of surprise. It was the nearest to a smile I'd gotten in…weeks. "Is that a challenge?"

**Oh, a dinner challenge! Anyways, was this chapter any good? **


	6. Pasta, Music & Mysterious Happenings

**Thanks for all the reviews I got, they were wonderful :) **

_**Music, Pasta and Mysterious Happenings**_

* * *_** Mera **_* * *

_**Later that same day….**_

I found the apron Cade had tossed over the counter and flicked the worst patches of ash off, tying it around me. My squad was still sitting dumbstruck outside in the lounge, or at least most were – Cade and Chet followed me into the kitchen a second later.

"Dinner was my responsibility, sir," Cade said, giving me a last chance to back out.

I opened a door that I assumed led to the panty – I was right – and searched the shelves. "I'm relieving you of that particular responsibility, then. Holy Force, what am I supposed to cook with this?"

The pantry was nearly empty, the fridge was pretty much bare, and the freezer was almost cleared out. There was a block of cheese, a gallon of blue milk, four eggs, one frozen steak, a box of pasta, a loaf of bread, some butter, and not much else.

How did they survive this long?

"I'm going back to town tomorrow and going grocery shopping," I vowed.

Chet opened his mouth to protest, but I didn't give him a chance. "Look, are there any comments _not_ about talking me into not cooking?" I asked.

Silence.

"Good. I swear I'm not going to poison it or anything. And I promise to give you guys lessons later."

"I'll hold you to that," Chet muttered, and after one last hesitation, he and Cade left.

I rolled my eyes, sat down at the table and got to work.

* * *_** Chet **_* * *

"She's as stubborn as you are," Cade said in awe after the door shut.

"No one's as stubborn as I am," I retorted.

"I dunno Chet, I think you just met your match."

I narrowed my eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Uh, nothing. You know, the General, she's not like a Jedi at all," he said in a weak attempt to change the subject. I raised an eyebrow, my mood getting ever darker. Cade cleared his throat and tried again. "This rain, it never stops, does it?"

I didn't say anything.

Cade swallowed, sensing that he was just digging a deeper hole for himself. "I think I'm just gonna shut up and keep to myself." He started backing away. "You know, I've been meaning to go and lift some weights and stuff, can't be getting soft!" He edged out into the corridor and bolted for the rec room.

I rolled my eyes. You'd think he'd know by now that I'm all bark and no bite.

Well, mostly. I can be intimidating when I want to be.

* * *_** Mera **_* * *

After making a list of food and stuff to buy, I managed to scavenge up enough from what we had to make a big pot of pasta in a cheesy sauce. Simple, but still pretty good, and easy to make.

The _only_ thing I could make, with the little we had.

I turned on the radio for some background music and started on my pasta, filling up a pan with water and leaving it to boil. Just as I started to grate the cheese for the sauce, my one of my many favorite songs came on.

Being an Omwati, music, singing and such are in my genes. My foot started tapping, then I was humming, and then I started singing along. I hadn't sung in forever, I realized. I'd forgotten how much I loved it. My voice was a little rusty, but then I found my pitch and started to harmonize with the singer on the radio.

* * *_** Chet **_* * *

"Hey, you guys hear that?" Scout asked suddenly.

The rest of us shut up, listening. Nothing.

Torch summed up what we were thinking. "What?"

Scout got out of his chair and walked to the kitchen door, pressing his ear against it. The rest of us followed, all except for Ace, who rolled his eyes and ignored us.

"That," Scout said.

My eyes widened.

Torch blinked. "Holy Force, is that the General singing?"

"She _is_ Omwati," Lex said quietly. "They love music, and they're good at it."

"Good's an understatement," Torch protested.

Flash elbowed him. "Shut up!"

Torch indignantly rubbed his ribs, but obeyed.

"That radio singer's got nothing on our General," Darek whispered after a minute, half in shock, half in awe. It was true – the General was a natural. Her voice was high and clear, and – fine, I'll say it, really pretty.

Again: Holy Force.

All nine of us stayed frozen in place until she was done with her song.

A pause.

"You know, if she comes out anytime soon, she's going to think we're creeps," Torch pointed out nervously. "She probably thinks we can't hear her."

"Good point," Lex agreed, and we quickly went back to our chairs. We didn't start talking again, though – we stayed silent, listening to the General sing. It surprised me

* * *_** Mera **_* * *

I finally finished making the pasta and buttering slices of bread to go with it. I'd kept singing, although I was nervous about my squad hearing me – I'd never sung for anyone, even my Master – but they probably couldn't hear, right?

Anyways, I set up dinner buffet-style – the pasta and bread along with plates and stuff all on the small table, so that we could grab what we wanted to eat and sit wherever. Hopefully they'd like it – I made a ton, and I don't eat much.

I opened the door and stuck my head out. My squad jumped. "Come and get it," I announced.

I jerked out of the way as they jumped up and stampeded for the table. There was a bit of a pile-up in the doorway, but with a bit of elbowing and shoving, they all made it through. I stood out of the way and watched, suddenly grateful that I'd fixed so much, as they loaded their plates with huge servings.

The question now was if there'd be enough.

When they were done serving, I got a little for myself, just a few bites' worth, and settled against a free spot of wall, crossing my legs.

Gamma gathered around the table, sat on the counter, or sat on the floor. Despite their huge servings, though, nobody was eating; they were watching Chet with distinctly nervous expressions.

Chet shifted in his seat, then speared a noodle on his fork and slowly raised it to his mouth. It was hard to resist the urge to roll my eyes, but I managed.

He chewed slowly, then grinned and scooped up a bite that dwarfed the definition of huge. The rest of Gamma, seeing that he wasn't writhing on the ground in death throes, dug in eagerly. Poor guys – judging by the earlier burned-meat smell, they had a right to be wary of what they ate.

I stifled a laugh, caught Chet's eye and said, "I think I win."

He blinked, swallowing his mouthful. "What?"

"Your challenge. I think I won. You like dinner?"

"You kidding, sir?" Torch asked in disbelief. Flash, his mouth full, nodded vigorously.

I blushed, relieved. "I've had a lot of practice," I mumbled. My Master hadn't been able to cook to save his life, either. I felt a searing jolt of pain at the thought of him, and to ward off an emotional breakdown, I watched my squad dig in.

You'd think the way my squad tore into their food they'd lived through a seven-year famine. Yikes. As for me, though, I sighed and set my fork down. My meal was untouched, and my stomach had started to churn.

After a while, when everyone was finishing, I got up and started clearing the kitchen and washing dishes, zoning out and humming absently to myself, trying to settle my stomach.

Someone tapped me on my shoulder, and I jumped, dishwater slopping onto my jumpsuit. Lex ducked his head, apologetic. The rest of my squad were either behind him carrying armloads of dirty dishes, or wiping down the counters with Chet. Even Ace was helping, which surprised me. He seemed like a loner, someone who kept to himself.

"We'll finish the kitchen for you, sir," Lex offered. "Since you did dinner."

I thought about refusing – since I did dinner, didn't that mean I ought to clean it up? - but I didn't want to hurt his feelings. And I did want to go relax for a bit, maybe decorate my room. I pushed my bangs out of my face.

"Sure. That'd be wonderful," I said gratefully. "Thanks, guys."

Lex nodded. "Welcome, sir."

I left them to their cleaning, and headed back to my room. Maybe, just maybe, I could get some sleep tonight…

Somehow, though, I doubted it.

* * *_** Chet **_* * *

_**That night….**_

Even though I really did try to sleep, I was still awake long after Lex had started snoring, and trust me, it's really hard to sleep when Lex snores. My head was too full of thoughts for me to rest anyways, but the snoring made it worse.

When pressing the pillow over my head and sticking my fingers in my ears didn't work, I gave up. I grabbed the blanket and pillow and stomped out, heading to the lounge. I made myself a bed on the couch and flopped down, and sighing at the lovely silence.

I had just started to doze off when something jerked me awake. After a second of straining to hear what it was so I could beat it up, it came again, a faint gut-wrenching scream. I bolted out of my makeshift bed, cursing myself for not having my gun nearby, and raced for the corridor. I almost crashed into Scout, and he almost shot me, but thankfully he looked before pullign the trigger.

"You hear that?" he asked, holding his gun down by his side so he wouldn't nearly kill someone else. I nodded.

"Where'd it come from?" I asked. Scout had the best ears of all of us. He tilted his head, thinking. "The General's corridor," he said.

"Okay. Go wake up Sparks, have him check his alarms and stuff. Get Flash and Darek up, too, for backup in case someone broke in. I'll check it out."

Scout nodded, handed me his rifle and raced off. I shouldered the gun and silently snuck up the General's corridor, my breathing so controlled it made no sound.

No one was there.

I hesitated, then grudgingly decided to check on the General, just in case. It'd be just my luck if she gets killed or wounded on the first day.

I knocked on the door, then slipped to one side in case an assassin or something bolted out. Nothing happened. I knocked again, and this time the General opened the door.

It was dark enough that I couldn't see her face, and she kept her head down. "Everything's okay," she said. "Sorry."

I raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to elaborate.

She shifted uncomfortably, rubbing one hand across her face and staying quiet, and I growled to myself. Fine. If she didn't give me an explanation, I wouldn't beg for one. I nodded shortly to her, then spun on my heel and walked off.

* * *_** Mera **_* * *

I kept my head down so that Chet couldn't see the tear steaks down my cheeks. He wasn't happy with me at all, but I didn't tell him why I'd yelled. I watched him stalk off, feeling horrible, then sat back down on my bed. I felt shattered inside, broken into millions of tiny shards, just like when _it_ happened. Thinking about it made my nightmare float back to the top of my mind, and I shuddered, pressing my face into my pillow and crying.

**Stubborn Mera - keeping her nightmares to herself and not letting anyone help. Not my best chapter, I think, but hopefully it worked out. Chapter 5 will be up next week. **


	7. Sprinklers, Sparklers & Shopping

**Sorry for the late update, yesterday was crazy and I didn't have time. Hope this chapter's okay :)**

_**Sprinklers, Sparklers and Shopping**_

* * *_** Mera **_* * *

_**The next morning….**_

I was awake the entire rest of the night after the nightmare. Partly because it's impossible go to sleep with it replaying in my head like a broken record, and partly because I refused to let myself sleep, because then I'd see it in my dreams again. But eventually, I got so tired that no matter how hard I tried to stay awake, I started dozing off.

That was stopped pretty quickly, let me tell you.

Right when I was at the point that I just couldn't keep my eyes open anymore, there was a muffled BOOM, a smoke alarm started blaring and the ship's emergency sprinklers turned on. The explosion scared me so much after absolute silence, I jumped (if you can do that while lying down) and toppled out of bed with a shriek, my heart beating faster than a terrified rabbit's.

The sprinklers were even worse – the water was _cold_, and within a few seconds every surface in my room was soaked. I was unspeakably grateful I'd put my duffel bag in the drawers under the bed and that I'd been too lazy to put up my drawings last night. They'd escaped the downpour.

I mopped my hair out of my face with a groan, my heart rate starting to approach normalcy, and got to my feet, slipping on the puddles of ice water. I didn't bother wringing out my shorts or my tank top, since they'd just get soaked again. I slid to my door and opened it, gripping my lightsaber with a half-formed plan that involved finding the alarm and chopping it into very, _very_ small, pieces, burning those pieces, and then finding the person who set it off and threatening to chop them into very, _very_ small pieces.

That alarm was going to drive me _crazy_.

I stepped outside, using all my powers of the Force to keep from falling on my rear, just as a sound even louder than the smoke alarm sliced through the noise like a knife through butter.

"_FLASH! DAREK!_"

"WHAT? IT WASN'T US THIS TIME, WE SWEAR!"

There was pause, then "_TORCH_!"

"I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY!"

The yells all came from different parts of the ship, but then there was the sound of running feet, a few thumps (someone must've slid into the wall) and more angry shouts that, this time, all seemed to come from the same place. I followed those to the passenger's lounge, skidding and slipping more than jogging, and found an indignant Flash and Darek, an apologetic Torch, and a very angry drenched Chet and rest of the squad gathered there. You know, once I got past the whole entire-ship-is-flooded-and-my-room's-soaked thing, the situation was actually sort of funny. I had to stifle a laugh.

Chet's eyes were practically sparking, but then he closed his eyes and muttered something under his breath that sounded a lot like he was counting to ten. "What did you do!"

It wasn't a question. It was a statement.

Torch rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Um…well, now we know that, ahem, an, um, experiment with a sparkler under a smoke detector will, uh, set said smoke detector off."

"_One_ sparkler?"

Torch guiltily held up an empty box. Chet growled.

"And what exactly was your experi – you know, I don't want to know." He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"If it makes any difference, I didn't mean to do it under a smoke detector," Torch said.

Chet just groaned. He glanced at Lex, who was standing at his shoulder and wringing out his T-shirt. "Lex, go turn that alarm off, will you? It's driving me insane." Lex carefully walked off, watching his step to avoid slipping, so he didn't notice me standing there. Chet turned back to Torch and sighed. "What do you think your punishment ought to be, Torch?"

He thought about that. "Nothing really harsh?"

"I could take away your lighter."

"No!" Torch sounded horrified.

"Fine. How does helping to dry out the ship sound?"

Torch ducked his head. "Fair."

"No more sparkler experiments under smoke detectors, okay?"

Torch nodded dejectedly. I felt a twinge of sympathy. Poor guy.

"Alright," Chet continued. "Ace, Scout, take the rec room and med bay. Flash, Darek, you guys do cabin one, two and the refresher, and _no pranking or goofing off_, you hear me?_" _

"You don't trust us, Chet?" Flash said mock hurtfully, holding his hand over his heart. "That's just sad."

"Where's the bond of faith between a captain and his men?" Darek proclaimed indignantly.

Chet didn't bother to answer. "Vick and Cade, the kitchen and cabin three. Sparks, the engineering bay, laundry, and the circuitry bay. Lex'll be helping you when he gets back. Torch, take the lounge and the corridors. I'll help you after I'm done with the observation deck."

Cade raised his hand.

Chet nodded at him. "Cade?"

"What about the General's room?" he asked.

"I think I can take care of that," I replied.

Everyone whipped around. I blushed – I didn't need to look in a mirror, I already knew I looked like a half-drowned cat – but I ruthlessly squashed down my embarrassment and continued.

"I'll help with whatever still needs to be done afterwards. Chet, when do you think I could squeeze in that grocery shopping?"

He blinked. "Uh…grocery shopping. Um..." He rubbed his face and sighed. "Now, actually. Patrols normally aren't up this early, so it's safest."

Cade nodded. "We'll take care of your job," he told Chet.

I blinked. "Wait, what?"

"Well, you've got to have somebody come with you," Chet explained. "You can't carry enough food for all of us yourself, and besides, going somewhere alone on Tellarus is not a good idea."

I narrowed my eyes, offended, but then saw the sense in having him come. I could take care of myself perfectly fine, thank you very much. But I guess it couldn't hurt to have someone to help me carry stuff; I hadn't thought of that issue. I guess a blue-skinned alien girl walking down the street levitating bags would definitely attract attention.

"I'll go get ready, then," I said. "Meet me in five minutes at the ramp?"

Chet nodded.

I was still mad, but there was nothing I could do about it. I spun on my heel, narrowly avoiding falling flat on my face, and carefully picked the rest of the way back to my room.

When we got to town, it was cold and blustery, the wind beating shop awnings and curtains together with a sound like hands clapping. The sky was a steel gray and rumbled with thunder occasionally, but it wasn't raining (miracle of miracles!), which I took as a good sign. On the other hand, it was strangely quiet – people talked in muted voices, and even speeder engines sounded quieter than usual. I shuddered. The place just had a creepy feel to it.

I pulled out my list and glanced over it, feeling edgy and wanting to get it over with.

"Okay. Is there a shopping center around here, or just vendors?" I asked.

Chet shrugged. "There're a few smaller shopping centers, but mostly just vendors."

"Alright. Where's the nearest shopping center?" I asked.

"That way. In the market sector."

We walked in silence for a while, but then everything just started to get to me – the unnatural quietness, how the streets were almost empty, just how completely alone I felt – and I tried to start some conversation. "It feels weird to be shopping when we've got a mission to do," I commented.

Chet shrugged again. "Well, we need supplies to hike to the kid's place, and we have none. Then there's the rule that all people must stay in the same place for a minimum of two weeks. If we vanish, it's way suspicious. Eleven people equipped with weapons, food for a two-week period and such will definitely be noticed if we try to sneak out, thanks to the patrols. We already have a basic plan plus the layout of the land between here and the kid's place, thanks to maps and Scout's one-man scouting missions; we're just waiting for the opportune moment."

"How long have you guys been here before I came?"

"A week."

"So we've got six days of sitting around before we can leave?"

Chet nodded.

I sighed. "Well, it'll be nice to get a break," I said, trying to look on the bright side.

Chet snorted, and I rolled my eyes. "Hey, I'm just trying to be optimistic."

He said nothing.

I turned to him and sighed. "Look, can you please treat me like I'm a normal person? Because as strange as it seems, I _do _have feelings."

He blinked his dark green eyes, surprised at my outburst. "…Fine," he muttered.

I sighed again. I don't think he got the point. Why can't I be like him, with brothers and a family that knows and understands me? Yeah, I know, it's all part of the gift and curse of the Force.

For some reason, that didn't make me feel better.

* * *_** Chet **_* * *

Treat her like a normal person? She was a Jedi and my General, for crying out loud! But then again, we _were_ supposed to be acting like normal people while in public, and I _had _been treating her sort of coldly. I sighed. She wants me to treat her like a normal person, fine. "So, the shopping center," I said. "It's a little further down. It's called the Market." So original, these people. Calling a market the Market.

The General nodded, taking out her list again and scanning over it, muttering to herself. "Blue milk…eggs…butter…"

"…You've got ice cream on there, right?" I asked. Just to make sure.

She rolled her eyes. "Necessities only, Chet." She lowered her voice. "But if you won't tell anyone, I won't."

It took me a second, but then I realized she was joking – I'm not stupid or anything, it's just that most Jedi don't joke – and I snorted and laughed. "You kidding? I'm not going to say a word. All I ask is that you hide it from Flash and Darek." I shuddered.

The General winced. "Them on a sugar high would _not _be good," she agreed.

* * *_** Mera **_* * *

By the time we finished at the shopping center, it was only seven AM. Not that you could tell with the cloud cover, but my chronometer was accurate, give or take a few minutes.

"Just two more things," I said, trying to maneuver my arm (which was loaded with shopping bags) so that I could read my list. "Caf and hot chocolate."

Chet glanced around at the faded shops. "There's one," he said, pointing.

A worn wooden sign had a picture of a steaming mug on top of what I guessed was its name, Norah's, in big red letters. It was the brightest thing on the street, with a striped bright yellow and orange awning. It was actually on the bottom floor of a motel, but it couldn't hurt to check if they would let us buy some.

"That should work," I agreed.

We started to cross the street, the wind sending our bags bumping into each other with dulls thumps. Then I felt a surge in the Force, along with some distinct Force signatures I recognized and had hoped to never sense again. I glanced around casually, using the convenient Jedi skill of looking without seeming to, and spotted a group of men staring straight at us with satisfied expressions.

Several thoughts ran through my mind at once. Grease-Bucket's minions. Carrying electrostaffs. Nothing good can come from them looking that happy. Blast it.

I rarely use the Force to sense emotions, because I think it's rude and that feelings are meant to be private unless you choose to share them, but I didn't need the Force to know that these guys were angry and meant business. I groaned. Chet tensed and turned to see what I was looking at.

"Not them again…"

**So, what do you think? Also, should I do more of the "__****The next morning…." ****things to help keep track of when stuff's happening? **Review please! 


	8. Day Two: The Minions of Doom

**Sorry for late update :( To apologize, this will be a two-fer. Chapter 7 coming up right after this!**

_**The Minions of Doom**_

* * *_** Mera **_* * *

"I thought you said patrols weren't out this early," I hissed.

"Normally," Chet muttered back. "I said they're _normally_ not out this early."

There wasn't time to debate the point further, because Grease-Bucket's evil Minions of Doom walked right up to us. I lowered my shopping bags to the ground and stepped forward so that the Minions of Doom wouldn't crush them or something. Grease-Bucket wasn't there himself; I snickered, feelign an un-Jedi-ish flicker of satisfaction - he was probably still rethinking his life. Their new leader was a brutish human with big ears and a pugish nose. He towered three feet over me; I had to crane my head backwards just to see his face.

None of them were smiling now. The new leader, who I dubbed Giant, thrust his face close to mine aggressively. Chet growled, but I discreetly waved a hand at him. I wanted to hear what these guys had to say – maybe it would be useful – and I really didn't want to start my day off with a fight. No one wants an adrenaline crash in the early hours.

"What'd you do to Tarr, eh?" Giant snarled. Holy Force, his breath was _nasty._ Hmm, guess Tarr was Grease-Bucket's real name. "You a witch or something?"

I almost winced; he struck a little too close to the truth.

Sometimes offense is the best defense. I stood as tall and straight as I could (not that it made much difference) and glared evenly up at Giant. Hopefully he'd back off soon, my neck was starting to hurt from having to look straight up.

"How dare you talk to me that way?" I hissed, making my voice colder than Hoth.

Giant backed off a half-step. "Er, eh, why shouldn't I?"

"Because I outrank you," I growled. Literally, but he didn't know that. "And because-" I cracked my knuckles – "it's really not a good idea to offend me."

Giant blinked. "Oh, eh-"

So smart, isn't he?

"So," I spat, taking that half-step towards him, "you better back off now, you..._hut'uun_." _Hut'uun_ was a _Mando'a_ word that meant coward. It was basically the worst insult you could give a person. I felt Chet stiffen behind me, but no time to figure out why.

"_Hut'unn_? What does _hut'uun_ mean, eh?" Giant said, affronted.

"_Hut'uun_ means what it means and whatever I want it to mean," I said coolly.

His forehead creased as he tried to untangle that sentence, and I had to stifle a giggle. You'd think the Seps would hire someone with a bit more intelligence...I guess they didn't want their underlings trying to stage a coup or something.

Bad for them, good for me.

"Back…off…now," I said slowly, in case Giant didn't get the point, and I let my hand drift to my waist to the spot where I normally hung my lightsaber but was now empty, although Giant didn't know that. "Never…bother…us…again."

Giant took a step back, then growled a half-hearted "We'll be back!" before scurrying away with his cronies.

"No backbone," I said disapprovingly. "Pathetic." I can be very scary when I want to be, but honestly, that guy was like a seven-foot-tall walking rock made purely of muscle. Why'd he be frightened of me, a four-foot-tall girl who has issues with getting blown away in strong windstorms?

It's really quite sad.

Chet walked to my side, staring at me with some expression I couldn't quite decipher. I try not to search others' emtions, because I think of it as an invasion of privacy, but sometimes I couldn't help it, being strong in the Force and all that. This was one of those times; I caught a brief glance of Chet's clouded, confused feelings before I shut myself off. They were liek one massive, tangled knot.

I blinked at Chet curiously. "What?"

"Do you actually know what _hut'uun_ means?"

I blinked again. That wasn't what I'd been expecting. "Yeah, but I wasn't going to translate it for him," I pointed out.

"You know more _Mando'a_?"

"You soldiers speak it a lot, and I'm an Omwati." I tapped the side of my head. "Photographic memory. Besides, what self-respecting commander doesn't learn the language of her own men?"

"You never spoke it before now."

"It never came up. I guess I never thought about it. And it's not my birth language."

Chet shrugged. "Just…don't use it in public," he muttered out of the corner of his mouth. "I don't want the suspicion that'd cause; they'd figure out that we're…what we are sooner or later. It's why we haven't used it before now."

"No _Mando'a_. I'll remember," I promised.

Just then, the caf shop across the street opened, the little bell above its door tinkling sounding too happy and loud in the gloomy city. A yellow Twi'lek girl with brown eyes, my age or a year older, stepped out, glancing around cautiously, then swept me into a hug.

"That was amazing!" she squealed. "I watched it all from my window. It's about time someone successfully put those jerks in their place!"

"Need…air…can't…breathe," I gasped. Chet was behind me, and I could feel his readiness to attack if she was a threat. I discreetly made a stand-down signal behind my back; the Twi'lek's emotions were clear and easy to read. She was very happy and welcoming towards me, and Chet if he was a friend, and any hostility she had wasn't aimed at us.

"Sorry," the Twi'lek said with a smile, and set me down. Why is everyone taller than me?

"_Successfully_ put them in their place?" I repeated.

"Yeah." She rubbed a big yellow-green bruise on her arm absently. "I tried myself once. It didn't end well."

"They hit you?" I gasped. "What were they doing?"

"Tormenting this little kid outside my shop. I went outside and told them what I thought of them, but they didn't appreciate it. So they punched me and left."

Chet growled. I agreed.

The Twi'lek glanced around nervously. "You know, this really isn't the safest place to talk anymore." Chet and I let her hustle us inside her shop. It was warm and bright, and smelled like warm donut and caf. Chairs were clustered around small tables, and banners were draped along the walls.

"I'm Norah, but the way," the Twi'lek added.

"Hello, Norah," I said, grinning. I liked her already. "I'm Mera."

Chet was still wary. He stayed a half-step behind me, alert for a threat. "Chet," he muttered.

Norah beamed. "Mera, I love that name! Yours is nice, too," she added to Chet. "Very manly."

She slid behind the counter and took out a tray of donuts. My stomach squeezed; I have trouble eating nowadays, and I'm not a breakfast person "For free," Norah said.

"No, thanks," I deferred.

"Holy stars, girl, what do you eat? You're a twig!"

I blushed. I could circle my waist with my hands, I was so skinny. Norah shoved a donut on a napkin at me across the counter. "It looks delicious, but really, I'm okay," I insisted, my stomach churning. I put a hand over it, like that would stop me from throwing up. "I'm not hungry. I couldn't eat it if I wanted to."

"If you say so," Norah said, and glanced at Chet.

He shrugged. "I'll take it. " He was about to take a bite when he looked at me and sighed. He tore off about half of it and offered it to me. "Look, at least _try_ to eat something."

I didn't want to hurt Norah's feelings, so I shoved down my nausea and sighed silently. I took the donut piece and nibbled at it.

The taste – it was incredibly good – seemed to wake up my hunger, because I was _starving _now_. _I tried not to scarf it down like a wolf, but it was hard.

Norah laughed. "What was that about not being hungry?"

I blushed. "I haven't been able to eat in a while," I admitted. "I guess I never realized how hungry I was."

Norah looked at me sympathetically. "Haven't been able to eat? Why not?"

Memories floated to the surface of my mind. A tear managed to get past my defenses and trickled down my nose. Darn my lack of sleep for making me so emotional! I turned away, pretending to be interested in the view outside the big shop windows, which wasn't much a view. "Stuff," I evaded.

Norah nodded, not pressing me further. Chet looked at me silently, but I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

I coughed. "So. Norah, do you sell hot chocolate and caf?"

She smiled. "Sure do."

"Great. Can we buy some?"

"Course!"

She rummaged around, still talking as she did so. "I guess you guys are new, huh? Why'd you come to this rock?"

I shrugged, buying time until an idea came to me – bingo! "My family was here," I said. Chet raised an eyebrow. I glared at him. "It's true," I muttered low enough that Norah couldn't hear and elbowed him. "You guys _are_ my family now." I meant it.

"Oh," Norah continued. "I can see why, then."

"Why did you come here?" I asked.

Norah snorted. "I was born here. The place wasn't so bad before the Trade Federation took over and beat feelings out of everyone and squeezed people dry. It was still rainy and dark, but there were colors and people would actually laugh and come out onto the streets instead of hiding at home. Festival's in a week – you'll see what I mean."

"Festival?"

"Yeah. It was the best time of the year. It celebrates the end of the rainy season and the few weeks of sun before it starts again. People dress up nice or even in costumes if they want, and there's food and dancing and storytelling and fireworks. The decorations'll start coming up soon, streamers and stuff."

"Why didn't the Trade Federation get rid of it or something?" I wondered, making sure not to say the military lingo word "Seps".

"Because the TF doesn't want a revolt on their hands. Festival's the only good time left. It's the TF's way of saying, "Hey, we're not all bad, we let you keep your holiday!" The people already tried to rebel, but that was put down pretty quickly and the TF cracked down hard. We get a little freedom if we don't revolt, and for some people, that's worth the tyranny. Festival's one of those freedoms."

"Sounds fun."

"It is," Norah said wistfully. "I can't wait." She slid a large can of caf and a tin of hot chocolate mix across the counter. She named the price, and I passed the credits to Chet. Norah helped me bag the stuff.

"So, you came for your family, huh?" She pointed to Chet. "He your guy? He's good looking, I'll give you that, if not very talkative."

Chet choked, and I blushed so badly I think my cheeks turned midnight blue. "Um, no, it's not like that. He's a friend. A brother," I explained, wishing I could go hide somewhere.

Norah rolled her eyes. She didn't believe me at all. "Uh-huh. Well, it was really nice meeting you! Feel free to come visit; you can use the indoor pool if you want to come swim or something."

"I'll definitely come by sometime," I promised. Maybe not to swim – this planet had far too much water for my taste – but Norah was nice.

Norah smiled. "Sweet! See ya!"

"Bye," I called over my shoulder. After the warmth and color of Norah's, the city seemed even more gray.

Chet was silent. I hoped I hadn't offended him...

* * *_** Chet **_* * *

_We_ were her family? Interesting. Never thought I'd hear a Jedi say that. Not that I was complaining, it was just…new.

I glanced sideways at the General. She had a half-smile on her face, and she was carrying more bags that I would've thought physically possible for her. She pulled her own weight, never tried to make others do her work…she was nice, too. Now that I thought back on it, she'd sort of treated my men and I as her family, or at least, not in a General-ish way at all.

And she knew Mando'a. I never saw that one coming, either. Once I got over the strangeness, it seemed to fit; she was right, I guess, about how a General should learn the language of her men and all that. And Force, had she put those cronies in their place. My Acceptance of the General Meter leveled up a few notches.

As we left Norah's, I had one of those random "thinking" questions you get sometimes. The General was way different than my squad and I had expected – friendly, nice. Us clones don't like being treated like clones. Maybe - just maybe, mind you - the Jedi didn't want to be treated like a Jedi.

Maybe like part of a family?

…Nah, that was stupid. Jedi had everything, right? Force powers, actual rights in the Senate, awesome weapons, a purpose in life other than to blow up droids. Why would a Jedi want to be a part of _our_ family? Our loud, crazy, dysfunctional family? It was insane.

But the thought wouldn't leave.

**Hope this chapter was good :) R and R please!**


	9. Day Three: Princess and Soldier Boy

_**Day Three: Princess and Soldier Boy**_

* * *_** Mera **_* * *

As it turned out, the clones were very excited about going swimming. Well, you couldn't tell with Ace, but the others couldn't wait to go. I wasn't planning on going myself – like I said, I've had enough water for a lifetime – but Flash and Darek wouldn't stop bugging me ("Sir, why don't you want to?" "Sir, you ought to come!" etc.) and Vick said something that really made me think.

When Chet mentioned Norah's offer of the pool and us going there to have fun, his eyes got really big.

"For _fun_?" he asked, like he'd never had fun before.

Thinking back on what Jas had told me about the clones' upbringing on Kamino, he probably hadn't, I realized. I felt like someone had shoved a spike into my heart. Considering that the Kaminoans put two-year-old kids in live fire exercises, Vick most likely didn't know the meaning of the word fun. I think that's what changed my mind about going – throwing away a chance to do something just for the enjoyment of it, like it was nothing, suddenly seemed selfish.

Anyways, somehow I changed my mind, and the next morning I was outside Norah's in short shorts, a T-shirt and a purple-and-black one-piece swimsuit with a towel slung over my shoulders.

There was a major pile-up at the door, so I was standing to one side so I wouldn't get crushed. After Chet got too impatient and forcibly extracted Torch, Flash and Darek (who were all trying to get through the door at the same time), we filed in and introduced the rest of the squad to Norah (who the clones, particularly Flash and Darek, tried to impress), claiming that they were all Chet's family (which they were).

I felt sort of bad for bringing so many people – we took up over half Norah's shop – but Norah didn't mind at all. She offered us free samples and drinks, which the clones loved, and showed us out a door to the heated indoor pool.

There was a whoop, then Flash and Darek started racing for it.

"Careful!" Norah cautioned. "It's slip-"

There was yelp, and Flash skidded, trying not to fall. He failed and toppled head-first into the water with a girly shriek.

"-pery," Norah finished, laughing. Everyone else – me included – were almost crying from cracking up.

Flash popped up, spluttering. "So funny," he muttered. "Ha ha."

We just laughed harder.

"Fine," Flash challenged. "I'd like to see you guys try to top that splash!"

"It's so on," Torch announced and did a running cannonball.

Soon everyone else followed, even Ace joining in the fun. Well, everyone except for me...and Vick.

"What's wrong?" I asked in concern. His face was white, and his eyes were huge.

"All that water. K-Kamino," he stuttered.

Oh. Poor guy…I flashbacked to Jas's horrible stories of being on Kamino – running through minefields at the age of six, the culling of too-independent or defected clones…Kamino was covered in water, so no wonder Vick was scared - the pool had to be bringing back memories, and not good ones at that.

I knew how he felt.

"It's okay," I told him, reaching up and putting a hand on his shoulder. Vick jumped a little. "I understand…"

* * *_** Chet **_* * *

I did a head count (it was instinct) and Vick was missing. With a flash of alarm, I quickly looked around, and saw him talking quietly to the General. He looked scared, scared enough that I was on the verge of getting out of the water and seeing if he was okay, but the General seemed to have it well in hand. As I watched, the fear left his face and he relaxed. Whatever the General was saying, she was saying the right thing.

Then Vick threw his arms around her and gave her a tight hug. My jaw dropped – Vick, all-about-protocol Vick, hugging his Jedi General?

Holy Force.

The General was tiny, but she hugged him back best she could.

Double shocker.

Vick stepped back, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment, but he was smiling now. The General shooed him off with a "Go have fun" (they were talking in normal voices now), and Vick did a running cannonball that topped even Flash's splash. He seemed perfectly fine now, if not better – he was actually joining in with the fun, not standing awkwardly on the sidelines.

What in the galaxy had the General said to him...?

* * *_**Mera **_* * *

Vick had just needed someone to listen and understand and treat him like a person. He seemed okay now, if that hug was anything to judge by. I was still in shock from that; I hadn't minded at all, but Vick didn't seem the hugging type, and I hadn't been hugged in a while. It was a nice feeling.

I didn't feel like getting wet, so I just watched my squad swim around until Cade realized that I hadn't joined them. "Why aren't you swimming too?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I think I'll sit this one out."

"Why?"

"I've had enough water for a lifetime."

"So, what you're saying is, you don't want to get wet?" Darek teased. The clones shared glances.

I rolled my eyes as Chet hauled himself out of the pool and walked towards me.

"What?" I asked, a little suspicious. There was a definite wave of purpose about him.

I realized it too late. He grabbed my wrist and started dragging me to the pool.

"Come on, Princess."

"Hey!" I shrieked. Darn the fact that I couldn't use the Force to push him away! "No, no, n-"

He shoved me when we got to the edge, and my arms wind-milled, trying to keep me from falling in. I failed and crashed into the water. I came up, spluttering, with my feathers plastered over my face. I parted them with my hands and glared daggers at Chet, who was grinning. My squad was cracking up.

"What?" he asked. "You asked me to treat you like a normal person, didn't you? So I did."

I heard a sharp intake of breath from who I guessed was Vick, seeing as he was the one all about regulations and protocol.

"I did ask you that," I agreed, and started tapping into the Force. I'd make it look like he slipped, so Norah wouldn't notice.

Chet was still smirking when I raised my hand. He realized what I was doing and yelped, trying to dig his heels into the smooth decking as I pulled him to the edge. It was all in vain as I then unceremoniously yanked him in.

"And that," I continued when Chet surfaced, "is me treating you like a normal person…Soldier Boy."

Chet shot me a mock glare, mopping his hair away from his eyes, and I snickered. There were cheers, laughter and whistles from the other clones.

"She got you good, Chet," Flash choked out between cackles.

"Nice nickname," Darek laughed.

Chet shook himself, spraying everyone within a five-foot radius with water. "Touché, Princess," he laughed.

I splashed Chet full in the face. He coughed and jerked away. "What in the galaxy was that for?" he yelled.

"Calling me Princess."

He seemed to think that over, then his arm whipped out and he splashed _me_ full in the face. "That," he explained, "was for splashing me and calling me Soldier Boy."

My eyes narrowed. "You know this is war, right?" I asked.

Chet cracked a smile.

"Water fight!" Flash and Darek howled.

Water was flying as we engaged in free-for-all splash combat, which I won when I used the Force to fling water out in a circle and totally wiping out everyone else.

"Muahahahaha!" I crowed.

The clones conceded inevitable defeat. "Cheater," Flash muttered.

I placed a hand over my heart. "We are far too noble to cheat," I said haughtily. "And besides, the Force has got to be good for something," I joked.

My squad laughed.

I laughed too. You know, I hadn't laughed in forever, I realized. It felt really nice, and a knot in my heart started to loosen. I was suddenly glad I hadn't passed up this chance to just have fun.

What made it even better was that my squad seemed to be loosening up around me. Maybe Chet had passed along what I'd asked – that he treat me like a normal person – or maybe they were starting to trust me. Either way, it felt great.

* * *_** Chet **_* * *

Holy…Force...

It was the first time I'd seen the General smile and laugh, and it totally transformed her face. I mean, she was really pretty before, but she'd always seemed...sad.

I'd made an effort to treat her like a normal person, because the General had requested it and it was pretty much an order, even if she never meant it to be. Normally, I wouldn't bother anyways, but she seemed nice enough, and she'd made me feel sort of guilty for being all cold-shoulder-ish. Plus, it was a way for me to annoy the heck out of a Jedi without getting punished unfairly, and those little opportunities don't come around often.

And I basically had treat her normal, to keep our just-simple-civilians cover. I'd passed the request along, and my brothers were trying as well. To be honest, I think most of them liked her. She was friendly, didn't boss them around, and she could cook.

But seeing her smile and laugh…I think that was the first time I actually saw her as a person and not some Jedi.

It was a new thought, that Jedi could be real people.

To be honest, I didn't know what to make of it.

* * *_** Mera **_* * *

Once we'd gotten back, had dinner, and everyone else had gone to their rooms, I scooped up my lightsaber, slipped on my jumpsuit and headed down to the rec room for a training session. I only trained during the night, because I couldn't sleep anyways and people watching made me self-conscious. There wasn't a lot for me to practice, since I didn't have anyone to spar with, but I could always use a good workout.

Since I'm so small and light, my preferred style was Ataru. I stretched, working out muscle kinks, then used the Force to move the boys' weights and stuff to the side so I could practice my flips and jumps for a while. I wished I could actually practice against something…maybe if I asked nicely, Chet would shoot at me so I could practice dodging and deflecting. One person watching wouldn't be too bad.

He was probably asleep by now, so I couldn't ask him tonight, but maybe tomorrow.

I didn't want to wake anyone up or alarm them with any noise I'd make, and I didn't want people barging in and scaring me either, so I checked my squad in the Force. Everyone was fast asleep, so I was good to start.

I activated my lightsaber, the blade throwing a purple glow over my hands, and started my exercises.

* * *_** Chet **_* * *

I jerked awake. What in the Force was that? I looked around, but there was nobody there, other than Lex and Ace.

Okay, now I was a little freaked. For a second, I could've sworn there was someone else in the room, like right next to me. Maybe the General was doing some of her Jedi stuff? Call me stupid, but that someone else in the room felt like her, like if I turned real fast I'd see her checking on us or something.

I looked at Ace and Lex to see if they felt anything, but they were sleeping soundly. Well, Ace's hand clenched for a second, and Lex twitched and his forehead furrowed, but then they relaxed again. I sighed and pressed my hands over my eyes. I'm a light sleeper most of the time, so I wasn't surprised, just really annoyed, because there was no way I was getting back to sleep.

For all of Lex's good points, he snores louder than a rampaging rancor, which is way you have to fall asleep before him to catch any zzz's. Normally, it's easy, because you're tired and Lex reads before going to bed, but that plan sort of didn't work when it's the middle of the night and Lex was already snoring.

I swung my legs over the bed and decided to go lift some weights. Maybe that would make me tired enough to ignore Lex's snoring. Or I could cut my hair and make it nice and short again, since it was REALLY starting to annoy me. In fact, it was only as long as it was because Flash had dared me to grow it out. A haircut might be nice...

Nah, I'd go lift weights.

I slipped out of the room, not bothering to change out of my sweats and T-shirt, and started to walk to the rec room. When I got close, I froze –buzzing/humming sounds, along with light thuds and someone breathing hard, floated down the hallway.

My hand flew to the empty air where my holster normally was, and I growled. But hey, I'm not so bad at unarmed combat. I could take 99.9% of the people out there (not including Jedi) and probably win.

I edged to the door, keeping my back flat against the wall, then quickly peered in. I let out a huge sigh – it was the General, not some marauder.

Or at least, I think it was the General.

There was a red, gold, and blue blur flying though the air, touching down, then springing back up again, accompanied by a glowing violet stick of light.

Yeah, it was the General.

I watched her for a minute without realizing that I was doing it. She had skill, you had to give her that, and Force was she fast – I'd barely registered where she was before she was in another place entirely. I'd seen few Jedi fight in person, and it was a sight to see. They did have some bragging points there…

Then I shook myself. Back to the present.

My debating about whether to sneak quietly off or announce myself was ended for me when the General hit the ground after one of her spinning leaps. She saw me, her purple eyes went huge, then she tripped with a yelp and felt flat on her hid end.

"Force, don't do that," she complained, scrambling to her feet and dusting herself off. "Next time I might accidentally behead you!"

I flushed, but it really wasn't my fault. I had no idea she'd be there. "Sorry. I woke up and decided to come lift some weights. I didn't know you'd be practicing, Princess. And you scared me, too – next time I might shoot fight and ask questions later."

She slipped her lightsaber (which had deactivated when she tripped) onto her utility belt with a huff. "I don't need your permission to use the rec room, Soldier Boy."

"I don't need yours either, Princess."

We glared at each other, and I realized how alike we looked – both of us standing stiffly with our feet apart and our arms crossed over our chests. I wasn't going to back down, and by the Force, neither was she.

I finally offered a truce. "Fancy moves."

She accepted the offer of peace and blushed even harder. "You saw that?"

"Some of it. You looked like you were doing fine. All I could see was a blur."

"That's how Ataru is supposed to look," she explained. She fiddled with her lightsaber. "Sorry I freaked you out. You were sleeping a minute ago."

"How do you kn-" It hit me. "That _was_ you!" I said accusingly. "You did some Jedi thing and woke me up! Do you have any idea how hard it is to fall back asleep when the King of Snoring shares your dorm?"

"Sorry," she apologized again. "I didn't mean to wake you up. I don't like people watching while I practice," she admitted.

I shrugged. "It might be a good idea. Let the boys get used to your fighting style. Let them watch a session tomorrow?"

"…Okay," she agreed reluctantly. "If you shoot at me and give me something real to practice."

"Uh, _what_?"

"You could set the guns on stun or low power, so if I do get hit I won't be injured," she suggested.

She voluntarily wanted to get shot at? That happened enough already!

"Deal?" the General pressed.

What was I getting myself into? "…Sure…" I said warily, and changed the subject. "Why're you up? No offense, but you could use some sleep." I wasn't saying that lightly. She had dark shadows beneath her eyes big-time.

"I…don't sleep well," she muttered after a second.

"Why not?"

The General actually looked haunted when I asked. I waited for a second, but she didn't explain, so even though I was dying to know why I didn't press the subject.

"Mind if I lift some weights, Princess?" I asked.

She looked relieved at the subject change. "Not if you mind me practicing, Soldier Boy."

"Fine with me."

She smiled. "Me, too."

**Was this chapter any good? Please comment! **


	10. Day Four: Cookies & Lightsabers

_**Day Four: Cookies and Lightsabers**_

* * *_** Chet **_* * *

It wasn't hard to tell that the rest of the boys in Gamma Squad had already taking a wary liking to their General – well, not sure about Ace, but no one can tell what he's thinking. Anyways, it wasn't hard to see why they liked her, either – the General was nice, she wasn't domineering, she was open and friendly, and she could cook _really _well (earlier this morning, she'd made cookies as a treat, and for a minute I'd thought I'd died and joined the _Mando_)_._

As ARCs, we weren't afraid to let Jedi have a piece of our minds. We were more restrained with the General, because she was a girl and you don't treat girls rudely or impolitely or blow up at them like you could with guys, and like I said, they liked her. But when she told us she wanted us to shoot at her - I'd been hoping she'd forgotten about that request, but Fate hates me - there were a few…outbursts.

"Holy – Force – stars – never – WHAT?" Scout spluttered.

"You know, we love a good joke," Flash said, taking a step away.

"But that's a little extreme, even for us," Darek finished, edging backwards.

Lex raised his eyebrows, which for him was like screaming "ARE YOU INSANE?"

Vick just looked absolutely, positively horrified...You can guess the rest.

"C'mon, guys," the General tried again, her violet eyes huge. "I'm not going to get hit, and I don't want to get rusty."

Why did her puppy eyes work on me when no one else's did? Why?

"No," I said strongly. I was _not _going to give in to puppy eyes. I'm a trained, hardened soldier.

The General crossed her arms, taking up the stance I now recognized as her stubborn, never-surrender one. "Please?" she asked again. She can be headstrong, that's for sure. At least she didn't get all demanding.

I glanced at Lex, who after a minute sighed and shrugged.

"Fine," I muttered. "But if you die, don't say I didn't warn you, Princess."

"I'm not going to die…Soldier Boy," she said, rolling her eyes. "I'm just as unhappy about it as you are. But you're making me uphold my part of the bargain, so you're going to have to uphold yours."

Flash and Darek snickered, having way too much fun than the situation warranted. I flushed and shot them a look, which only made them laugh harder. Traitors.

"Fine," I growled. Let's get this over with.

* * *_** Mera **_* * *

I was really starting to have second thoughts. Actually, I wasn't _starting_ to get them, I _already_ had them. But a deal was a deal, and I wasn't going to back down, no matter how much I wanted to.

I finished stretching, activated my lightsaber, and took up my stance, nodding calmly like I was perfectly in control (which I wasn't). After a moment's hesitation, my squad lifted their Deeces and got ready to shoot. I stared down the black muzzles of ten guns in the heartbeat before they fired, and very nearly lost it.

_Guns. Lasers flying. Screams of pain. Death!_

No, I wasn't in the factory, I was in my base with my men and the guns were for practice –

_Men jerking with the force of the blasts, waves of shock and pain and then nothingness, DEATH –_

My sweaty hands started shaking, and I almost dropped my lightsaber. My breath hitched. No, no, no, that wasn't the present, they were only memories! I blinked, refocusing on the here-and-now, and saw Chet staring at me with something like concern, which some part of my mind found touching, as he didn't seem to like me very much.

Then came the sound of guns being fired, accompanied by red laser blasts. Acting on pure instinct, I leaped high to avoid one, deflected two in one swing, flipped over another, spun, leaped, twisted and repelled four, leaned backward and watched one skate above my face, and rolled under the last.

Panting, I somersaulted up into a sort of defensive crouch, one hand on the ground to brace myself and my lightsaber held behind me in a Shien grip, and was about to lunge for the attackers when my mind finally caught up with the last few seconds.

Horrified, I scrambled to my feet with a bit less grace than normal and deactivated my lightsaber. I was more than a little scared of myself - I'd been about to attack my own men!

No one seemed to have noticed what I'd been about to do, which gave me a sort of shameful rush of relief. But when that was gone, terror moved right on in.

It'd been my fault about Master and Jas…what if I killed Gamma Squad too, accidentally or not?

I was a monster.

Not for the first time, I wished I'd been killed in that factory, too.

What added to my terror was that this simple exercise had let my chest heaving and me gasping for breath, and the Force was slipping through my grasp like water.

I was really, truly scared; there was a time when I could last a day on the battlefield, doing what I'd just done for hours instead of mere seconds. And I knew that as your physical condition deteriorates, so does your ability to use the Force; and my condition wasn't exactly top-notch. But if this short workout left me exhausted…I didn't want to think about what it meant.

* * *_** Chet **_* * *

At the moment, my gut instinct was telling me that something was off (we don't all need Force powers). Not in a horrible something-creepy's-going-to-jump-around-the-corner-and-try-to-kill-us bad, but the something's-wrong-with-someone bad. The "someone" being the General.

She was acting a little weird – weird beyond the normal Jedi weird. Heavy breathing, huge, glazed over eyes and dilated pupils, and was it me or was she holding her lightsaber like it'd killed a friend of hers?

…Nah. I was probably just being paranoid. I'm no expert on Jedi.

But just in case, once things had calmed down a bit I'd ask if she was okay. Maybe have Lex look her over or something.

Anyways, the guys were very appreciative of the General's skills. Yes, I was too – that Jedi stuff was breath-catching, the quickness, the power, the grace (oh Force, I sound like some stupid poet) – but I'm not as loud as…say, Flash and Darek.

Still, it was definitely impressive. Except for Vick, we'd all seen Jedi fight before on the battlefield, but not a close-up demonstration like that where we weren't distracted by other things (i.e. bombs, getting shot, etc.)

And as you may have noticed, my squad's not exactly the most diplomatic group of people. But then again, who wouldn't cheer a bit for their general, especially after a display like that?

"Holy Force, that was AWESOME!" Torch crowed, pumping his fist in the air.

We may be (literally) genetically superior and professional, hard soldiers, but we were boys at heart. Maybe it had something to do with being ten years old but actually twenty? Or our lack of any childhood whatsoever?

"Poetry in motion!" Darek proclaimed.

"Wicked," Flash agreed.

Sparks nodded appreciatively. Lex raised an impressed eyebrow, most likely running a full analysis on the General's fighting style to break down for us later. Ace merely grunted (no surprises there). Shy Vick just looked awed...apparently it was going to take more than one day of fun to break his shell.

"Cool," Scout said fervently.

Cade looked amazed. "Great stars…"

The General seemed to shake herself out of whatever weird trance she was in and blushed midnight blue."Was nothing," she mumbled.

Torch raised his hand. "Can I lob a grenade at you and see what happens?"

"Um, not right now. I don't want to blow the place up."

Torch sighed in disappointment, then brightened. "Sometime, though?"

"Sometime," she promised. She looked down at her lightsaber hilt and fiddled with some knobs. "I could show you some basic lightsaber forms if you want…"

It took me a few moments to get over the shock of hearing her say that - a Jedi let someone, not even a Jedi, much less a clone, hold their weapon? Force… to be honest, I was pretty excited. Plus, it was a very good move – it was a friendly offer that showed that the General trusted and respected them and was accepting them into her circle.

Although, personally, I didn't think teaching Flash and Darek how to use something as dangerous and cool as a wand of glowing plasma energy was that great of an idea. They wouldn't be able to resist. And don't get me started on Torch – I didn't know if lightsabers could light things on fire, but I don't want to find out.

The General glanced my way with a hint of a smile, probably doing her Jedi thing and "reading" my emotions in the Force. She seemed to be fine now, after that creepy trance-thing. Odd…I decided I'd still ask her later if she was okay. Couldn't hurt.

Anyways.

Picking up on my unease didn't mean she listened to it. The General went right ahead.

"Vick," she chose. The poor kid looked thrilled and terrified at the same time. The General smiled encouragingly.

"Here," she said, taking Vick's hand and positioning it correctly on the lightsaber hilt. She guided him through a few sets of basic parries and thrusts, talking him through it. Vick eventually lost his freaked look and relaxed more than he ever had round the General (which, I had a sneaking suspicion, had been the General's plan.) He even got over his shyness to ask a few questions.

The General worked her way through the whole squad. I was amazed at her patience – she didn't seem to mind in the slightest, and my squad's a bit of a handful.

I was last, being the captain and all. The General had dismissed everyone else as their turn was finished so it wouldn't be too crowded, so it was just us. I took my chance.

"You okay? You looked a little…" I couldn't find a good word, but the General got the picture.

"I'm fine now."

Notice the 'now'.

"What was wrong?" I pressed. Lex always did say I was stubborn.

"Nothing."

Jedi – or maybe it was just the General – aren't very good liars. "Nothing?" I repeated skeptically.

She flushed, but she didn't seem angry – sad? Scared?

"Just a spell," she muttered finally.

I crossed my arms. "A spell of what?"

She glared at me, but again, she didn't seem mad. On the contrary – she looked like she was about to cry. I knew when to give her a break. "Let me know when it happens again," I said. She hesitated, then gave a reluctant nod, but still looked wary. I took it one step further.

"We're a team now. You're going to have to trust me," I said. "If it's something that could hurt the team, we need to make sure it doesn't. You're our leader. You have responsibility. I need to know that you'll tell me the truth and everything else. Teams work on trust and fall apart with secrets."

Maybe I was being a bit harsh, but I was worried. And she couldn't be hiding stuff from me that I'd need to know – if she was going to go into trances randomly, then I needed to know so I'd be prepared for it.

The General blinked and looked a little shocked. She hesitated again, and opened her mouth to tell me just as Cade poked his head into the rec room.

"Hey, we're having the rest of the cookies –" He blinked, felt the tension, and blushed. "Oh. Oops. Sorry. I'll save you some."

He disappeared, but the moment had passed.

* * *_** Flash **_* * *

So, the rest of Gamma Squad gathered in the kitchen while the General worked with the Chetster.

Why are we Gamma Squad? I mean, come on, it's so…uncreative! I cast my vote in for Team Freaking-Awesome, but for some reason, it never became our squad name...

Anyways, yeah. We were gathered in the kitchen and finishing off the cookies. They were super-good, let me tell you.

"I'd give this a ten," I proclaimed. "It's soft and the chocolate's gooey and do I detect a hint of vanilla?"

"Flash, swallow, then talk," Scout instructed. "Do you know what manners are?"

"Why, yes, but there's no one here to impress." I swallowed my mouthful of cookie. "Pardon me, Scout old chap."

"Don't call me that."

"Call you what, Scout old chap old buddy old pal?" I asked innocently, internally cracking up. I could practically see Scout's blood pressure rising.

"Don't call me that," he repeated through gritted teeth. His hands were starting to clench.

"Ignore them, Scout," Lex stated calmly, not bothering to look up from his novel. Darek and I used to prank him to see if we could a reaction, but the guy's like an rock. A logical, really smart rock.

"You're no fun, Lex," I sighed.

No reaction. He didn't even twitch.

I decided I'd pushed Scout far enough. Didn't want him to pop a blood vessel, after all. I sighed, starting to get bored, and reached for anther cookie, but Cade slapped my hand away, the meanie.

"Only two," he explained.

"Unfair!" Darek protested.

"That falls under the category of cruel and unusual punishment, Cade," I agreed.

He shrugged. "Sorry."

Time for Plan B: Puppy Eyes.

They didn't work – Cade just gave me an apologetic yet firm look and scooted the jar away. Come to think of it, my puppy eyes rarely worked – maybe my mohawk offset them? I put a protective hand over my awesome hair. Puppy eyes or no puppy eyes, I was keeping my mohawk. Like I said, it was awesome, and plus, girls like cool dudes with mohawks.

The boredom was getting worse. Ace was fiddling with his precious Deece (Darek and I named it Alice, just to annoy him; it was hilarious to watch his face when we asked how his date with Alice went, ha ha), Lex was reading, Torch was lighting a napkin on fire and watching it go up in smoke…Vick was being taught the fine points of remaining unseen by Scout…Sparks was assembling what looked remarkably like a speeder out of toothpicks…Cade was guarding the cookie jar…

Hmm. The cookie jar.

Lightbulb moment!

I discreetly nudged Darek. He sent me a questioning look, and I flicked my eyes toward the general direction of the cookie jar. Darek got the gist of what I was thinking and flashed me a wink. I swear, sometimes we can read each other's minds - we're so alike, it's almost like we're clones.

Hmm, what do you know, we are. I love irony.

Not.

It's hard to do practical jokes when your whole life feels like one, but we do our best. Granted, this wasn't the most awesome prank ever, but still, stealing cookies is a classic.

I started off. It was Darek's turn to name it. "Time for Operation-"

"Cookie Monster," Darek finished.

* * *_** Chet **_* * *

_**At the same time Flash was concocting a devious plan….**_

The General cleared her throat and started the lecture. "Okay. I use Ataru and Shien mostly, but those are a bit advanced. This is the first form, Shii-Cho."

She grabbed my hand in her small blue one and placed it on the cold hilt, but didn't take her hand away. I coughed, blushing, feeling a tight - but not unpleasant – feeling in my chest.

She blushed too, but otherwise ignored me. "Okay. Legs apart. Bend your knees a little. Lean forward a bit." She moved my arms into the right position. "There. Now. Shii-Cho uses diagonal strikes at respective body zones for attacks, the goal being to increase speed and reduce actual movement. The body target zones are: 1 - head, 2 - right arm and side, 3 - left arm and side, 4 - back, 5 - right leg, 6 - left leg. Pretend there's an enemy in front of you." She activated the blade with its familiar hum and slowly guided my hand through the motions of several wide, swinging strikes. "Zone 6 – you cut off his left leg. Zone 2 – you cut off his right arm."

Eventually she stepped away and let me do it on my own. My hand felt cold without hers on top.

She called out zones, and I swung the lightsaber. It was lighter than I'd expected it to be, and very easy to move. I was a little apprehensive about it at first – I didn't want to accidentally cut my leg off with the thing – but then again, every weapon was dangerous. Soon I started to get the hang of it and relaxed a bit.

"Zone 1."

Strike. The General stepped forward and corrected me. "Picture the enemy in front of you, where his zones would be." She stepped back. "Zone 4."

Strike.

"Good. Zone 2."

Strike.

I got better, finding a rhythm. My clumsy swinging changed to something starting to approach smooth.

After a while, she stopped me. "Not too shabby, Soldier Boy," she said.

"Thanks, Princess." I meant it.

The teasing lightened the mood, which was still a little tense. I was still trying to decide what that weird but nice feeling was, but I was clueless. Maybe Lex would know…? Nah, I wouldn't bother him. I'd figure it out on my own.

She grinned at me, showing all her straight white teeth. "Keep on practicing," she advised. "You'll have to use a light rod or staff or something instead of my lightsaber, but it should do the trick."

I bowed, what I'd heard Jedi did to their Masters. "Yes, Master," I murmured.

The General played along, pressing her palms together in a steeple like she was praying (I guess because she didn't have those wide cloak sleeves to fold them in) and bowed gracefully in return, her almost-white feathers falling over her shoulders. "You are welcome, my Padawan," she replied smoothly, and straightened.

We looked at each other, and she giggled. I'm not one of life's great smilers like Cade, but I laughed, too – she had one of those laughs you couldn't help but join in with.

Still keeping in character, the General gestured elegantly at the door. "Shall we, Padawan? Before our comrades eat all the cookies?"

I bowed my head, and was about to reply when there was the sound of wild laughter, running feet and an outraged howl.

"FLASH! DAREK!"

I groaned and facepalmed. Half an hour. Half an hour and already they're in the process of demolishing the ship.

"Let's go see what they're destroying now," I said wearily.

**I'm trying to get more reviews, so if you know anyone who might like this story, feel free to mention it :) Favoriting/Story Alerts are awesome, but they don't tell me what I could fix or what I'm doing okay on. **


	11. Pranking the Pranksters

_Kandosii!_ – Awesome!

_Nar dralshy'a!_ – Try harder!

_**Pranking the Pranksters**_

_*** * * Chet * * ***_

We raced outside and the General yanked me back into the doorway as Flash and Darek zoomed past, laughing maniacally. Flash was holding a jar over his head. A warm, chocolaty smell hit me.

"No," I said in disbelief. "They wouldn't."

"They would!" Lex said grimly as he and the others dashed past us, chasing after Flash and Darek. "And they did!"

"They stole the cookies!" Torch howled.

Not the cookies!

We waited until everyone had run past so we wouldn't get trampled, then followed. The General flew past me.

"No fair!" I huffed. "No Force powers!"

"How else am I supposed to keep up with you guys?" she shot back. "I'm tiny! I've got short legs!"

I rolled my eyes. We bolted around the corner and the General yelped and skidded to a stop inches from crashing into Scout's back. She wobbled and Scout reached out a hand, steadying her.

I, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky, and smashed into Torch. He blew his hair out of his face and moaned. "I think you just crushed my spleen…"

"Sorry." I got to my feet and winced. I think I just acquired a brand new collection of bruises. Torch groaned and hauled himself up.

"Sorry doesn't pay the medical bills," he muttered.

"Why's there the massive pile-up?" the General asked.

"Flash and Darek locked themselves in their room," Cade replied. "Sparks, can you work your magic?"

Sparks slid in-between Ace and Lex and frowned thoughtfully, experimentally pressing the open button. Nothing. I distinctly heard Flash snicker from behind the door.

Sparks sighed and pulled out a small black bag from his pocket – his lock-picking kit – and shook his head. Torch interpreted for the General; the rest of us didn't need an explanation, since Sparks had been part of Gamma Squad since its humble beginnings, and we groaned.

"He'd have to pick the lock, which could damage the door," Torch explained. The General narrowed her eyes, tapping her chin with one slim blue finger. She got that look on her face. You know that mischievous look, where the person's eyes seem to spark and that slow dangerous smile spreads over their face? She had it.

The General rubbed her palms together with a small chuckle.

"What?" I asked warily. Flash and Darek got that look often enough that whenever I saw it I had an urge to run for cover. Vick actually ducked behind Lex in an instinctive impulse to take shelter.

"What better way to get back at the pranksters than with a prank?" The General replied gleefully.

Vick shuffled out from behind Lex with a sheepish expression. "Is that a rhetorical question?" he asked. "I always get confused with those."

The kid's sense of humor is finally starting to emerge.

"I like that idea," Scout agreed happily. "Prank the pranksters."

Lex, Sparks, and even Ace grinned.

"I thought you Jedi didn't believe in revenge," Torch said, throwing in his two credits.

The General waved a hand. "This isn't revenge, this is justice."

"Ooooh." Torch smiled. "_Kandosii!_" Chet shot him a look, and he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry. No Mando. I mean…awesome!"

"Let's get cooking," Cade proclaimed.

_*** * * Mera * * ***_

I checked my carefully written plan and glanced at Sparks. We'd slid a tiny transmitter under the crack of Flash and Darek's door, so we knew what they were saying and when they were going to unbarricade themselves. Sparks was keeping track of that and had rigged one of his cameras to face their door as well so we could get the whole prank on live footage.

He nodded and gave me a thumbs-up. Flash and Darek weren't going to move anytime soon.

"Okay," I muttered. "Team Viperwolf, execute Phase One on my mark…remember, silent but deadly; they don't see or hear anything."

Team Viperwolf (Cade and Ace) took up positions at the door of our base of operations (ie the kitchen) and nodded. They were armed with rolls of clear plastic wrap and duct tape – for putting over Flash and Darek's doorway. Sparks had tampered with the security system and put their door on lockdown – Flash and Darek would try to open the door and fail, then try to ram it open, which was when Sparks would deactivate the lockdown and they'd smack straight into the plastic wrap.

A classic.

"Okay…now!"

Yeah, we were making it way more complicated than it needed to be, but that was half the fun of it!

Cade and Ace padded silently into the hallway and vanished. The rest of us turned and watched Sparks' portable screen, where the camera was feeding to. A minute later, Cade and Ace appeared. Ace gave us a confident smirk, and Cade his board grin, and they got straight to work, taping layer upon layer of plastic wrap over the doorway. Soon it was completely fenced off.

I tapped the transmitter button on my comlink. "Alright guys, good job."

"Thanks, ma'am," Cade answered, and they just as quietly left.

They returned quickly, Ace's ice-blue eyes glittering with anticipation and Cade nearly bouncing, he was so excited. Chet and I, aka Team Vornskr, initiated Phase Two and used our balls of string and rolls of duct tape to create a crazy spiderweb of string surrounding Flash and Darek's door.

With us back in the kitchen, I nodded to Team Firebird (Torch and Lex). Torch was holding a box of poppers – small, harmless flattened white ovals that made sharp popping noises and small bursts of light when thrown hard to the ground (or in Phase Three's case, stepped on). He looked more joyful than a little kid on Life Day. Lex was looking cool and calm as always.

"Alright, Team Firebird, begin Phase Three!"

I distinctly heard Torch sing the phrase "Secret Agent Man!" as they left. He made up his own mysterious spy music and hummed it, too: "Da, da-da, da da-da-da…"

He wasn't all that bad, to be honest, but Lex lightly slapped his shoulder.

"Quiet!" Lex scolded. Torch huffed and went silent.

While Torch and Lex scattered the poppers around Flash and Darek's hideout, Team Acklay (Vick and Scout) readied buckets of water and started soaking sponges and filling up water balloons – just as important, if not more, than the other Phases.

Finally Operation Prank-the-Pranksters was complete. All eight of us gathered around the table and shared grins, Scout and Ace hefting water balloons. All we needed to do now was wait.

_*** * * Flash * * ***_

They hadn't come chasing after us. Why weren't they chasing after us? My highly-developed something-fishy's-going-on detector (my mohawk bristling) activated.

"I'm getting a bad feeling about this," I muttered to Darek.

He put a hand over his heart. "You were a Jedi all along, and you didn't tell me?" he asked in mock hurt.

I snickered. "Me, a Jedi? The galaxy would explode."

"Got that right…"

A few seconds of silence.

"…My mohawk's starting to stand on end," I said nervously.

"My spikes are starting to wilt."

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" I asked.

"That they're planning something that includes us as the victims?" Darek suggested.

"Uh-huh."

"…Oh, snap."

I scrambled up, brushing cookie crumbs off my tunic. "Let's bang out of here."

Darek nodded. He was closer to the door than me, so he unlocked the door and opened it.

Or tried to.

"It's not opening!"

"_Nar dralshy'a!_" I retorted, translation being "Try harder!" Chet told us not to use Mando'a, but we still slipped when we were nervous or excited.

"You try then!" Darek challenged.

"Fine!"

I tried, but the door still didn't open, even for me. Stubborn thing.

"Okay," I said slowly. "The Mando way?"

Darek nodded. "The Mando way." We backed up to the very back of the room. Nothing could withstand a double-attack from Darek and me.

"Wait, chest-bump," Darek reminded me. We chest-bumped and did our handshake for good luck and to psyche ourselves up, then we leaned forward and tensed.

"Let's do this thing!" Darek yelled.

"On three! One…two…THREE!" I hollered.

We bolted forward, turning sideways slightly so that we didn't ram into the door head-first. Darek and I roared in anticipation of the impact. The door didn't stand a chance.

_*** * * Chet * * ***_

We heard every word Flash and Darek said, thanks to Sparks' transmitter, so we knew exactly when to unlock their door. The perfectly positioned camera caught it all – the door flashed open, Darek's mouth opened in comical surprise, and Flash's eyes went huge. They rammed straight into the plastic wrap and bounced far enough back into the room that the camera couldn't see them, with identical yells of shock.

"Are you getting this?" Scout asked gleefully.

"The camera's set on record," Lex said, checking the screen.

Torch was holding his comlink up and was catching everything, despite the fact that, like Lex said, the camera was already recording everything. "This is going straight on the HoloNet," Torch said reverently.

"Excellent blackmail," Vick agreed.

Next to me the General laughed, and I glanced at her. She seemed more enthusiastic than I'd ever seen her: I don't think that mischievous grin of hers ever left her face, and her violet eyes sparkled. "You bet," she agreed with Vick, and laughed again.

_*** * * Flash * * ***_

"They're good," Darek remarked, grudgingly impressed. "Plastic wrap's a classic." We admired their handiwork for a minute.

"Yeah, it's a good one, but we're still trapped in it," I pointed out, coming back to reality. "Use your pocket knife."

Darek whipped his pocket knife out of his pocket with an expert flick of his wrist. Out of all of us, expect maybe Ace who loved and excelled at anything to do with battle, Darek was the best at knives. He cut a long slit in the plastic wrap, and we slid out, only to get tangled up in massive web of string.

"What kind of nerdy holovid is this?" Darek complained, looking like he was caught in some massive, half-finished cocoon. "_Revenge of the Giant Spiders_? Plastic wrap's a good one, but string?" He used his knife to slice through the yarn, then got me free. The cut victim-less string dangled sadly from the ceiling. I flicked one strand.

"Sorry, guys, but Prank Two failed," I proclaimed.

"String," Darek muttered again, his voice heavy with disapproval.

"Let's find the others," I suggested. Darek nodded.

_*** * * Chet * * ***_

"They're about to reach the poppers," Torch whispered, practically bouncing. Typical. My question, though, was how he'd managed to hide them from me? Poppers were tiny fireworks – harmless, true, but still fireworks, and they weren't very fiery, which means that Torch would be trying to make them more so.

Not a good idea.

I decided to interrogate Torch later, promising myself to search his room. If he could hide a box of fireworks from me, who knows what other hidden stashes he had?

I refocused on the screen, and Torch was right – they'd step on the first of the poppers in one…two…

"AAH!"

Yup, they'd reached the poppers. Sharp crackling pops accompanied Flash's yelp, and both he and Darek literally dived for their room. They poked their heads around the corner, eyes wide.

Torch dropped to the floor, he was laughing so hard, and Scout had to grab Sparks' chair for support. Me? I was nearly crying from the hilarious looks on Flash and Darek's faces.

_*** * * Flash * * ***_

"I bet you five credits that Torch planned those," Darek muttered.

"You're on, mate – I say it was the General. You remember that first day when she mentioned pranking her Master? I bet you five it that she's the mastermind."

"How much poppers do you think they scattered?" Darek wondered.

"How should I know?" I retorted. "We'll have to wing it."

"Ready?"

"Ready when you are…"

"…Now!"

We raced from our cover and with a series of crazy leaps that probably made us look like rabbits on caf made it across the popper minefield. My white boots had small scorch marks on them, and I groaned. "Torch! I spent an hour getting my boots to that degree of shininess!"

Darek's eyes narrowed with purpose. "What do you say, Flash? Time for a reckoning?"

"No one pranks The Pranksters and escapes," I agreed. "Time for a reckoning."

_*** * * Mera * * ***_

"Okay, they're heading this way! Commence Phase Four!" I directed.

Sparks switched to a different camera's feed – the one that watched the kitchen hallway – while the rest of us armed ourselves with sponges and water balloons. I wrapped a scarf around my hair, and using some facepaint Torch found drew black streaks on my cheeks, smiling up into the likewise painted faces of my crew. "Ready for an ambush, boys?"

Scout summed it up, grinning. "You kidding?"

We snuck out of the kitchen – we didn't want it to get trashed – and stepped out into the hallway, pressing our backs to the wall, with a water balloon or a sponge in each hand. Only very faint breathing disturbed the silence, and we easily heard the soft thumps of Flash and Darek's boots. I blinked at Chet, who nodded, and used hand signals to transmit the message to the others.

Get ready.

Flash and Darek rounded the corner, and the first volley struck.

Dripping wet, they stared at us in mute shock, then Flash reached down and picked up a fallen sponge, raising it threateningly.

"It's on," he growled.

"Water fight!" Darek yelled.

There was a cheer, then water started to fly.

**Please, please review! I only got 3 reviews for my last two chapters! Please send feedback!**


	12. Discoveries

**Sorry, my Internet's been having spazz attacks - one minute it works, and the next it's down again. Anywho, here's Chapter 10 :)**

**_Discoveries_**

* * *_** Mera **_* * *

After we'd gotten dried off after the water fight, I brought in the guys for some cooking lessons. Or tried to bring them – other than Cade, none of them were very excited to try their hand at what Flash phrased as "stinking up the ship and starting an accidental fire."

"Tonight's menu is nerf cubes and bread," I announced, shoving a reluctant Torch through the doorway. It was totally delish, and just the sort of thing these guys would enjoy.

"What's nerf cubes?" Vick asked warily.

"A rich, meaty stew made up of cubic chunks of nerf meat and usually mixed with local tubers," Lex explained calmly. "Usually in a one-to-two ratio of tubers to meat. I think it sounds good, provided we don't burn it into black rock."

He gave a _ratio _for its ingredients? I bit back a laugh. That was Lex, alright.

"Uh, are you so sure this is a good idea?" Darek asked, eyeing the stove like it wanted to suck his blood. "I mean, we aren't exactly professional chefs."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, but how will you become one of you don't practice?" I quipped, walking in after Torch. "Don't worry, I won't let you blow up the ship."

Ace raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "You don't know Torch," he muttered. "He can blow up anything." Torch elbowed him, and Ace gave him the Death Glare. Torch squeaked and scurried behind Lex. Cade strategically stepped in between them to keep the peace.

I ignored them and rubbed my hands together. "Alrighty, let's get cooking!"

"I really wish you wouldn't say that," Flash said, his face pale.

I rolled my eyes, tying an apron around my waist. It was made to fit someone like Chet (not fat, but way bigger than I was), so I had to wrap the ties around four times to get it to stay. "Oh, come on, Flash. I'm a Jedi, remember?"

Flash winced, not very reassured.

* * *_** Chet **_* * *

"Um…"

I glanced down at the General sheepishly, standing over my tubers that I'd been supposed to dice. Let's just say it didn't turn out well. "So, I guess that's a try again?" I asked. My face burned. Why did I have to make a fool out of myself in front of her with something as trivial as cooking? Why?

"I don't think I explained it well enough," The General apologized, nudging a misshapen chuck of tuber with her index finger. It rolled over onto its side pathetically. "Sorry."

"You explained it fine," I protested. On my other side, Cade nodded in agreement, glumly staring at his half of the tubers. I took some comfort in that his were chopped even worse that mine. "We just can't do it right."

I didn't get how we could be so freaking awesome in battle and epically fail at cutting tubers. Cutting tubers, of all things. I guess when the Kaminoans were growing us they didn't care much about an ability to make something edible.

"Hmm." The General tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Would it help if I went through the motions with you guys like I did with the lightsaber forms?"

"It might," Cade said, perking up. "I'm willing to try."

"Same," I agreed.

"Okay, then." Her hand hovered over my hand for a second before she curled her cool fingers around mine. My face burned even hotter. Across the kitchen Flash and Darek snickered.

The General guided my hand through the motions, cutting smoothly and making all the chunks into perfect-looking cubes. "All the tuber pieces have to be about the same size or they'll cook unevenly. You just need to find the rhythm," she explained. "Once you've got it, you're good."

I cleared my throat, which was dry for some reason. I ended up making this weird choking sound, which had Flash and Darek silently cracking up and the General, Lex and Cade staring at me in concern. "Uh, I think I've got it."

"Good," the General said with a smile. She stayed next to me for a second to make I did indeed have it, patted my shoulder in congratulations when she saw that I did (she really had to stretch to reach it), then moved onto Cade.

The General laughed at something Cade said, and I glanced over at them. Cade was smiling bashfully in that happy way of his, and the General was grinning broadly. Her smiles have a way of lighting up her whole face in a way that makes whoever's responsible feel oddly important…

Something inside me snapped. Why was it Cade who got her to laugh? Why couldn't I?

My previously okay mood suddenly gone, I scowled down at my tuber like it had committed some grievous crime and pushed down hard on my knife, slicing clean through the tuber and embedding the knife in the wooden cutting board.

WHY?

I resisted the urge to give a frustrated scream and wrapped both hands around the knife handle, gritting my teeth and straining.

The stupid, blasted, dumb thing wouldn't budge. I could've sworn it was silently mocking me.

After another fruitless tug, the General appeared next to me. She put a calming hand on my arm and used the Force to yank the knife out of the cutting board, levitating it in the air until I realized that I was supposed to grab it.

"What did the tuber do to you?" she asked.

"It insulted my hairstyle and claimed that I cut tubers like an old lady," I said, then wondered where the heck that came from.

The General laughed. "Well, I don't know who that tuber thinks it is. I think your hair's just fine, and I'd like to see any old lady dice tubers like you."

I laughed, and the General grinned. "You okay then?" she checked.

"Yeah, I'm good," I replied. She nodded, gave me one last smile and jogged back to Cade.

"Hear that?" I muttered to the offending tuber. "_She_ thinks I'm fine."

I heard a bizarre sound like one a dying cat would make, and looked up to see Flash and Darek in silent hysterics. Darek kept making squeaking noises as he tried to keep himself from cracking up, and Flash was practically crying.

"Oh, shut up," I mumbled.

* * *_** Mera **_* * *

Dinner turned out really well, and the guys were loving it. Once they got the hang of it, they were actually pretty good cooks. And contrary to most expectations, there was only one incident with fire and that was quickly extinguished. All in all, a pretty successful evening.

"So," Darek said, dunking his roll into his stew. "Torch, did you think of the poppers?"

Torch, who was calculatingly eyeing one of the last rolls, looked up and blinked. "Uh, nope. The General asked if we had any, and I did, so I gave them to her."

Darek groaned, and Flash elbowed him in the ribs with a broad smile. "Pay up," Flash crowed.

I raised an eyebrow, unsure about whether to feel flattered or not. "You guys were _betting_ on me?" I asked.

Flash shrugged, unrepentant."Yeah. On whether or not you were the mastermind. And I won!" He grinned, smugly counting out the credits Darek passed him.

I rolled my eyes. Crazy gamblers. But they were _my _crazy gamblers, so I didn't feel too irritated. Across the table, Chet just shook his head hopelessly.

I grinned down at my stew. No matter how put out or annoyed he pretended to be (or actually was) you could tell he really cared for everyone in his squad – his family. I didn't think I was included in that yet, but maybe someday I would be.

* * *_** Chet **_* * *

No matter how much I wanted to sleep (which was A LOT), I just couldn't. I was getting really, really tired of this; I used to sleep like a rock, and this is like the third night I haven't been able to. It wasn't any use blaming it on Lex's snoring anymore; this time, I had to accept it was me.

I had this nagging feeling that something was off, and despite how hard I tried to ignore it, it wasn't going anywhere.

With an angry groan, I finally accepted that the only way I'd get to sleep would to be actually check the ship out and get rid of said bad feeling. Nothing could be horribly wrong; nothing, I repeat, nothing, got past Sparks' security. So it had just me and my paranoid self. I wouldn't be surprised – I'd talked to a tuber this evening, remember? I think the war's finally getting to me…

"Stupid…blasted instinct…why…want sleep…" Muttering to myself, I stomped through the corridors, alert for anything out of place. Why couldn't I get a good night's sleep, just this once? Why, why, why – _Ouch!_

It turns out that stomping angrily on a slick metal floor while wearing socks isn't a good idea, as you tend to fall onto said hard metal floor. Well, that sure didn't help my mood any.

I turned down the General's corridor, only to jump and slip again at the hiss of a door opening. It seemed much louder than normal in the quiet (I could only hear the quiet thrum of the ship's cooling systems and my own breathing). I managed not to fall this time, but I'm not sure if skidding into a wall is any better. No more wearing socks on nighttime adventures for Chet.

A dark form staggered out into the hallway, breathing raggedly and making a kind of choked keening that instantly set my nerves on end. And judging by the small, willowy build and the tank-top-and-gym-shorts pajamas, it had to be the General.

Suddenly I was wide-awake as the cold, spiky feel of adrenaline shot through my veins. I bolted forward as the General put her back to the wall and slid down until she was sitting in a curled-up, trembling ball.

Unfortunately, I forgot I was wearing socks again. I overshot, skidded several feet past the General, slipped and nearly did a faceplant, but I caught myself on my hands and scrambled to my feet.

The General's head jerked up, and even in the dark lighting, she looked really, _really _freaked. Her normally bright violet irises were practically invisible, her pupils were so dilated, and beads of sweat - or maybe tears? Both? - streaked down her face, which was twisted in horror.

Probably because of the lighting, the General couldn't seem to tell who or what exactly I was. Odd, though, because wasn't sensing presences part of the mystic Jedi mumbo-jumbo? Either way, she squeaked – the kind a mouse caught in a trap or staring up at a giant, hungry cat would make – and scuttled away crab-style, keeping her eyes glued on me like if she looked away for a second she'd be dead. Her hand shot for her waist, where her lightsaber would normally hang, but she grasped only empty air. She was beyond hyper-ventilating now.

Why was she so scared?

I didn't want to be Force-pushed into a wall or something, so I crouched down and held out my empty hands to show I was unarmed. The General stared at me blindly, like she couldn't see me.

"Hey, it's okay," I breathed. "Easy…"

The General blinked several times, then her eyes finally lost that vacant look and flickered into focus. I wasn't sure if that was any better, though. She looked so devastated, _I_ almost wept.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She swallowed and looked down. Her chin was trembling. "N-Nothing."

I crossed my arms over my chest in disbelief. "I don't know about you, but I don't think that was nothing, Princess."

She glared at me, although the effect was ruined by a tiny sniff and a tear rolling down her cheek. Okay, so what do I do now? I thought. I wasn't good with women who cried, the sum total of my experience with that being…zero. And I especially wasn't good with crying Jedi generals. But I had to do something...

Without realizing what I was doing until I'd done it, I pulled the General into a hug.

I froze, even more shocked then the General (who I was HOLDING IN MY ARMS) was. My mind went into panic mode. _Chet, you are such an idiot! You're HUGGING your Jedi General! Hugging your JEDI GENERAL! I'm so dead…so very, very dead._

Surprisingly, though, I wasn't dead. After a heart-stopping second where the General went stiff as a board, she actually relaxed, buried her face in my shoulder, and slowly wrapped her arms around my waist. Seeing that I wasn't being chopped into thousands of tiny pieces by a lightsaber, I relaxed, too.

The General was _not _a willing crier. I wouldn't even have known she was crying if I hadn't felt my tunic growing damp and heard the occasional hiccup. I remembered how she liked music and started to hum some random tune that I made up as I went along, hoping I wasn't too out of pitch. I punctuated that with the occasional growl so she wouldn't think I'd gone completely daft, and tried to decide what would achieve better results, patting her back or stroking her hair, then did both.

Her back was marred by tiny ridges, probably scars from old shrapnel wounds, and her hair - feathers - were surprisingly silky. I was afraid I'd patted a bit too hard, encountered a few too many tangles and pulled a little too hard, but what did she expect? Like I said, I was _not_ good at that sort of thing.

After a few minutes, the General pulled away and rocked back on her heels, moping her eyes. I sat back, too, my thoughts alternating between _stupid, stupid, stupid_ and _uh…okay. _

"Th-Thanks," the General mumbled, giving me a watery smile.

I shrugged, thanking the Force that she couldn't see me blushing. "It's all good." The General still looked horrible. Better, but still horrible. There was no way I was going to walk away now. "Come on. I'll make you some hot chocolate," I suggested, standing up and offering the General a hand. She hated caf, but she was addicted to hot chocolate. If anything would help her feel better, that would do it.

"…Okay," she agreed. She reached up and slipped her small hand in mine.

**Please, please, please review! You know you want to...just press the button right below this...it takes less than a minute to type up a few comments! **


	13. And the Truth Comes Out

**I was on vacation, which was why I missed last week's update...anyways, here's Chapter 11 :)**

_**And the Truth Comes Out**_

* * *_** Mera **_* * *

I was silently mortified, confused, surprised…happy, I guess, and sad, which was an odd mix of emotions. Reasons?

Mortification: I'd had a total mental breakdown in front of Chet. Chet, of all people! And besides, it was so NOT good for my image as a capable general. Plus, I view crying as something personal, something to be done only with your face buried in a pillow in your room with the door shut. 'Course, that plan failed…

Confusion: I guess my tremors of distress in the Force had somehow been strong enough to reach Chet, who wasn't as strong in the force as, say, a Jedi. Otherwise, how in the galaxy did he know I was having a freak-out? Plus, why did he care so much?

Surprise: Chet had _hugged _me, by the Force, even though I crying on his shoulder – _crying _on _his shoulder!_

Happiness: For having someone care enough to let me cry and make sure I was okay.

Sadness: my Master used to do that. And then Jas and my clone friends would give me a group hug, with Les saying some random, corny joke top make me laugh…I missed them so much.

Chet shot me a glance that barely masked his concern. I realized that I was giving a weird crooked smile through a whole new round of tears. I flushed. Great. Force, he probably thought I was crazy. Bad Mera. Bad time to turn on the waterworks…

Thinking about Master and Jas wasn't a good idea, either.

The way my Master looked when he'd gotten shot…

_His long brown ponytail – how she used to tease him about that – draped over his chest wound. Glassy green eyes staring at the ceiling, the spark that made her Master her Master just_ gone -

The way Jas's voice had trailed off into horrible silence, telling her to leave him, her best friend, the person who'd always come back for her…

_Smoke and blood and laser blasts, and a lone, white armor-clad man standing in front of her, pouring all his desperation, pain and feelings for her into one word. "Run…" _

The way the Force had seemed to tear itself apart with every single man that died…

_Life-signatures – she knew each one like she knew the back of her hand – like bright flames, suddenly flaring with horrible agony followed by the horrible, empty feeling of absolute nothingness, a blank spot where just a heartbeat ago used to be thoughts, feelings, a _person, _just _gone -

Something squeezed my hand. The rapid-fire memories flickered and died, and I blinked, back in the colorless metal corridor staring down at my bare feet. I looked up and felt my heart quiver in a weird but not unpleasant way.

Chet still hadn't let go of my hand. In fact, I realized, my cheeks probably midnight blue at this point, I was holding it back. Well, squeezing it, actually, and squeezing it hard. Poor guy, the bones in his hand were probably screaming in pain right now.

I loosened my grip, but didn't dare let go. Every time I started to slip back into the nightmare – which wasn't hard, considering I was kept dozing off; I was so sleep-deprived it wasn't even funny – he'd press my hand tighter. I didn't want to know how exactly he knew that the nightmare was creeping up on me (my face probably looked really scary right now), but it was like holding onto a ledge while dangling over a dark ravine that stretched so far down you couldn't see the bottom, just blackness. If that ledge wasn't there, there'd be nothing to stop me from falling, and I didn't know if I'd be able to climb back up.

But still, I was _holding his hand!_ That had to be against the Code…heck, it _was _against the Code. But then again, I didn't want to lose what little sanity I had left, and I wasn't doing anything other than holding his hand. Which was purely for sanity reasons. I wouldn't be thrown out of the Order for that.

Seems I had some of my unorthodox, carefree Master in me. Or maybe it was my stubborn nature finding something to lash out at. Or maybe I was babbling because I was really, truly freaked.

We got to the kitchen, and Chet led me to the stools in front of the counter. "Sit."

I sat, not bothering to argue. I was too busy holding on to the last shreds of my dignity while crying my eyes out, which in case you haven't noticed is rather hard to do.

Chet took to making hot chocolate with more than a little uneasiness, but he managed to fix it without blowing up the kitchen. He slid a mug and a bag of marshmallows towards me and sat opposite with his own mug cupped between his hands. "Drink."

I plopped in some marshmallows and sipped. The hot drink warmed up my insides, and what can I say? Nothing's more comforting than chocolate. I felt definitely more calm after a few more swallows, and my tears started to dry up.

Chet waited a minute, then fixed me with his dark green eyes. "Talk."

I peered into my mug like it held all the answers to life. "There's nothing to talk about," I muttered. If I said it out loud, he'd probably think I was a weakling, and Jedi aren't supposed to have attachments. He'd hate me, because it was my fault over fifty good men had been massacred. And saying it out loud would make it seem even more real than it was.

Chet gave I sigh, and I could just picture him rolling his eyes. "Okay, then. I'll start us off. You seem to have issues sleeping."

No freaking duh.

"There's sleeping pills," Chet suggested.

"They make me groggy. And stupid. Not good things while fighting a war."

"Lex has a book on military strategy. It'll put you to sleep while making you clever and unbeatable," Chet offered.

I smiled. "I might have to take you up on that offer."

"Okay. Now that we've established you have sleeping issues, let's discuss why," Chet continued. I scowled, realizing I'd fallen into his trap. So much for keeping my mouth shut.

"I don't want to discuss why," I growled.

"Well, too bad, Princess. You're going to. It'll help you feel better."

Ha. Sure. I knew he was trying to help, but I didn't think this was going to work.

I debating marching right out of the kitchen and barricading myself in my room, but Chet guessed what I was thinking and shook his head. "I'll just drag you back," he said.

I narrowed my eyes. "You wouldn't dare. Force-user, remember?"

He snorted. "You couldn't sense if it was me or not in the hallway," he pointed out.

Gah. He had me there…my Force abilities had shrunk so much with my lack of sleep and food that I couldn't stop a mouse droid. Well, maybe a mouse droid.

"Fine," I spat. Chet didn't so much as twitch at my tone; he leaned forward and fixed me with those eyes of his.

"I've been having nightmares," I muttered. "Like, really vivid, really bad ones, about – stuff that happened. It's partly why I couldn't sense you in the hallway. I was still half-asleep and stuck in the nightmare...it was like being under water, with my senses cut off."

"Uh-huh. And what are these nightmares about?" Chet asked, not fooled by my attempt to change the subject.

I could tell he wasn't going to back down. If anyone was as stubborn as I was, it was him…In the midst of my exasperation, I felt a flicker of hope; maybe, like he said, it would help. Maybe it would end the nightmares…

So, I told him everything.

I started off slow, but started to speed up. It was like something poisonous being extracted from me – it hurt, oh Force did it hurt, but at the same time I felt better and better that I wasn't carrying the burden alone.

Chet didn't say a word. He simply sat at let me get it all out, his eyes never leaving my face, until I was finally done.

"…After I got back to the Temple and had my Knighting ceremony, I sort of blanked out. Just went through the motions of living. And then Master Yoda assigned me to help with the younglings. They were so sweet and so cheerful, I started to be, too. I started getting better. And then I started getting the nightmares, and the next week I was assigned to you guys. So here I am," I finished in a whisper, cradling my mug even though the hot chocolate was cold now. I swilled the liquid around for a moment, afraid to look up. I wasn't sure what I'd find; pity? Hate? Fear?

Jedi aren't supposed to worry about what people think of us, but Chet's approval mattered, I realized. I scowled, angry at myself. I knew that I was only Knighted because they couldn't get me as Master and they needed more Generals, but I was still a Knight. I shouldn't care whatsoever if Chet hated me. So I lifted my chin and looked up, resisting the urge to use the Force to search Chet's emotions.

Chet was sitting back in his chair, processing everything. Finally he said, "You noticed how Gamma's so tight-knit?"

That wasn't exactly the response I'd been expecting, but I nodded anyways. "You guys are a family," I said, proud that I was able to keep my twinge of envy and longing mostly under control.

Chet's eyes flickered as he considered me for a moment, then he nodded. "That's for two reasons. One, some of us - Flash, Darek, me, Sparks, Torch - have been together since the start of the war. The rest of us – Ace, Lex, Scout, Cade – it's because we're all they've got. Scout's battalion was disbanded when his General died, so he didn't have it as rough as it could have been, but Lex and three others were all that was left of his division, which was massacred when Lex's commander made a decision to save a few men at the risk of everyone else – that's why he's always so logical."

"Cade had much the same situation, but you know how he's like; he was down for a while, then picked himself up and moved on, making himself forget the bad and focus on the good."

"Ace was an only survivor. That's why he's a loner who only ever shows anger. It's the only thing he knows how to feel anymore."

My heart felt like it was stabbed repeatedly with a sharp knife every time he told me one of their stories. "Why are you telling me this?" I whispered, feeling and sounding like I'd had all the breath knocked out of me.

"Because I know you haven't read our files like a good General," Chet replied with a note of amusement that instantly vanished, "and I figured you should know that you weren't alone."

"Thanks," I said, my voice cracking a little. Everything made sense now – a hard, sick, cruel sense. Poor Lex, poor Ace, poor Cade…

"Why didn't you tell anyone about your nightmares before?" Chet asked breaking the silence. I jumped, and berating myself for dozing off again.

I looked back down at my mug. Because I felt guilty that I couldn't move past my own issues when other people lead the same problems? That I couldn't move on like I was supposed to? Maybe because moving on would've felt like I was forgetting about Master and Jas and the rest of my men?

I shrugged, not saying anything, but somehow I think Chet understood. He moved on with his next question.

"How have you not dropped from exhaustion?"

My lips twitched upwards. "The Force, snatching a few minutes of sleep every now and then…"

"Your own stubborn nature?" Chet suggested dryly.

"That too," I agreed, and hesitated. "…How do you deal with nightmares?" I asked.

"Tell someone so you're not shouldering it alone," Chet said pointedly. I flushed. "You could try thinking of a good memory and focusing on that," Chet continued.

"I'll try that," I said, and gave a massive yawn that I tried to mask behind my hand.

"You're going to have to sleep sometime," Chet cautioned.

I shrugged. Until that point, I was going to avoid it.

Then Chet leaned forward. "Why do you think that everyone dying was your fault?" he asked with a frown.

I flinched. "Because it was," I whispered, my hand creeping up toward my heart like it could hold its shattered pieces together. The nightmare rose up again. _My fault, my fault, my fault_…"If I hadn't been so stupid, if I'd just said something -"

"It was not your fault," Chet said so fiercely that I recoiled. "A mission that important would've had to go on. And if you felt something, I'm sure you Master did too. And besides, what could you've done to stop it?"

"Something. I would've done something -"

Chet snorted. "You couldn't have done anything and you know it," he interrupted. I shut my mouth because, as hard as it was to admit it, he was right. Tears prickled the corners of my eyes.

"Do you think your Master or Jas or your other friends want you moping around and doing nobody any good?"

"No," I sniffed. But I didn't want to forget them…

Chet seemed to read my mind. "It's not forgetting them, it's remembering them," he persisted. "It's doing what they want you to do and thinking of the good times you guys shared. Thinking of the big picture. Letting them rest in peace. How do you think you're making your Master feel?"

I could just imagine my Master's response - _Get on with it, Mera! Life's too short to be wasted in misery! _That used to be one of his favorite sayings…

"Okay," I whispered. I was crying in earnest now. A tear dripped off my nose and landed in the cold hot chocolate, making little ripples. Chet was right. I had to let Master go on. But I didn't want to be left behind…

"Hey."

I looked up at Chet's voice.

"It's gonna be okay," he said softly.

It was amazing how those four words made my heart lift. It was going to be okay. "Okay," I agreed.

"Good," Chet said with a smile. "Because it will be." I nodded, and he gently took my mug out of my hands and took it with his over to the sink.

I folded my arms on top of the table and set my head down, watching Chet, feeling more at peace than hours and hours of meditation had done. I couldn't forget that massacre so easily, but it would be okay in time…

I yawned and let my eyes close. Just a short rest…

* * *_** Chet **_* * *

I was a little afraid I'd been a little too harsh and realistic, but in the long run I think it helped. As cold as it sounded, the General needed to move on; she was putting her life and others' lives at risk by being in such bad shape. And being who she was, she'd probably have ignored me if I'd been all sympathetic and kind.

But that was my cold, logical side that I didn't pay much attention to anyways. The rest of me - practically all of me - was feeling horrible for her. Poor girl…Any bad thought I'd ever had about her flew out the window. I'd been lucky enough to not lose a single man during the whole three years of this stupid war, and she's lost everyone. Sort of put things into perspective – whenever I thought I had it bad, she had it worse. I shuddered just thinking about it – losing practically every single friend and family member you had in one blow like that, especially in sacrifice to save your own life. My brothers were what made me Chet, the people who kept me sane; how would I react if a massacre like the General's happened to me?

I'd want to die.

Force, I really hoped I'd helped her. I couldn't believe she kept that to herself for so long without exploding or something, and how on earth could she still make friends and be so cheerful when life totally sucked for her? She was a stubborn one, I thought to myself, remembering what Cade said about me meeting a match in stubbornness with her. He was right, but then again, Cade usually is.

I finished rinsing out the mugs and turned back to the counter. The General was resting her head on her arms, her feathers falling over her face, and she wasn't making a sound. I crept up to her.

"Hey, Princess," I whispered.

She didn't stir.

I almost went into panic mode, but then I saw her back rise and fall with her slow, deep breathing. She was asleep, actually really sleeping for probably the first time in a month.

Oh, snap. She was sleeping.

There was no way I was going to wake her up. I'd have to carry her out. But how'd I type in the code to her room while holding her? Guess I'd have to make her a bed on the couch in the passenger's lounge… Awk~ward.

I carefully slid an arm under the bend of her knees and slipped the other under her neck, lifting her up. She looked tiny in my arms, and Holy Force, she was _light. _

I took a step, holding her gingerly so I wouldn't jounce her or anything, and froze when she shifted. She didn't wake up, though – instead, she mumbled something and buried her face in my shoulder.

Oh Force. I thanked the stars my brothers couldn't see me blushing right now.

I had to turn sideways to make it through the kitchen doorway, but once I got past that it was smooth sailing. I made it to the passenger's lounge and gently set the General down on the couch, then dug through the closet for an extra blanket. The only extra one we had had lots of little spaceships all over it, but I didn't think she'd mind. I draped it over the General, then on second thought tucked it in around her and slid a pillow under her head.

I tip-toed out the lounge, then paused at the doorway and looked back. The General looked almost at peace. It was the first time I'd seen her so and I looked perhaps a bit longer than I should have…

Come on, Chet, snap out of it!

I spun on my heel to get out of there before I completely lost my head, then stopped again and sighed. I couldn't just leave her there. What if Flash and Darek decided to take revenge for Operation: Prank the Pranksters? That would _not_ end well. And what if she had nightmares again? She'd freak out, not being in her room and all.

Me and my stupid conscience.

I turned back and silently dragged the recliner to block most of the entryway, in case the rest of the squad decided to come down here when they woke up and I was still asleep, then plopped down to get what little sleep I'd be able to snatch for the rest of the night.

**So...what did you think? Please, _please_ review!**

**I'm super sorry, but I think I'm going to have to switch updates from every week to every other week. I've neglected my other story, and there's school :( It's getting harder to find time to write. Updates will continue to come, just not quite as often. When I've got more time to write and gets more chapters written, I'll switch back to updating every week, but at the moment I just don't have the time. **


	14. Preparations

**So, these next two chapters are ones I wrote a while back; I'm going to post them while I work on the escape/mission beginning chapter. Sorry for the delay :( but hopefully these are okay. **

_**Preparations**_

* * *_** Chet **_* * *

The General had another one of her nightmares, but she was okay after I helped her calm down. It was incredibly sad to see someone like her, normally full of life and all that, to be reduced to a lost, shattered wreck. I was almost crying myself, but I was a Captain of the best squad in the GAR - I couldn't break down and cry.

Anyways, after that, the night went smoothly. Scout shook me awake in the morning, and with my brothers' help moved the General to her own room. I didn't tell them what the General had told me because I wasn't sure if she'd want me to, so they assumed she'd been sick or up late most of the night without asking questions, figuring I'd tell them eventually.

They got right down to work. Lex was given the apparently highly-prized job of carrying the General, after a whisper-shouted agreement about who got that privilege. Finally, the others agreed to let him carry her if they got to help in some way, too. Scout and Vick, our two best cooks, decided to make breakfast for when she woke up, Torch was put in charge of the juice, Flash and Darek were to wash the dishes for her as long as they didn't start slopping the dishwater everywhere, Cade was going to do the laundry and Sparks the ironing, and Ace was coerced into straightening up the lounge after much grumbling. I was in charge of straightening up the rec room, after I helped Lex.

After we set the General in her own bed, Lex quickly spruced up the vase of fake flowers the General had sitting on her nightstand and set the radio to play some music.

My attention was caught by the array of drawings the General had pasted on her walls (all slipped inside lamination sheets, most likely in case of another sprinkler incident).

She was incredible. She'd drawn several of what I figured was the Jedi Temple, animals, landscapes, and different ships, but most were of clones or a tall, long-haired man with laughing green eyes that had a lightsaber dangling from his waist. Not a single one was about her. I stepped closer and noticed some had even been labeled, mostly with names.

I recognized a lot from what she told me last night about the massacre – Jas, Tank, Wings. They all looked distinct, drawn with close attention to those little details you had to notice to tell us clones apart. It was easy to tell how much she'd loved them, which made me want to tear each and every Seppie apart for taking them away from her.

Lex joined me when everything was done to his satisfaction and looked at them with me. "She's very good," he noted in a whisper. "Omwati are known for their artistic skills, though, so I suppose it's not that much of a surprise."

I felt sort of guilty about telling the General Lex's own sad story, but then again, Lex probably thought she already knew by reading our files. I only knew because when I'd picked her up from the freighter the day she'd arrived, they'd been sticking out of a pocket, still unopened.

I nodded, agreeing with Lex. "She's _really_ good," I muttered back.

Then Lex blinked. "Aren't those of us?" he asked, pointing to a row of unfinished sketches tacked above her head.

It w_as _us. Wow. I felt a burst of surprise and warmth that we were included in what were obviously some of her favorite things and people.

I looked for mine and found it near the front. She'd drawn me laughing at something, which made an answering smile form on my face. "She's got us down pat," I said proudly. Every drawing looked more like us than we did.

"Indeed," Lex agreed, studying his own portrait, which was of him reading a book, forehead creased in a serious frown and eyes intent on the page. "Wonder when she drew them?"

Probably late at night, when she was afraid to sleep because of her nightmares, but I wasn't going to tell him that.

We examined them for another minute or so before Lex suggested we leave so we didn't freak her out. We slipped out the door silently, keeping an eye on the General, but she didn't so much as twitch she was so deeply asleep.

"Let's go make sure Flash and Darek aren't destroying the place," Lex sighed, wincing as a faint CRASH echoed down the corridor.

"I think we're a little too late for that."

_**Later that morning…**_

We'd finished our jobs in record time (thankfully, no dishes had been broken, although one plate had a rather big crack in it now) and in an effort to not mess up what we'd just cleaned, we met in the rec room for some sparing matches. We wanted to go to town later and visit Norah's, but the General wasn't awake yet.

We formed a wide ring around the first two contestants. Torch and Vick were facing off about five feet apart in the middle of the ring, armed with long wooden rods roughly the length of a lightsaber and confiscated from the broom closet (the mop heads had been taken off, although Torch assured me they could be put back on.) Both of them had padding protecting the specific Zones the General had shown us. Padding might have been too strong a word – they basically just had pillows tied around them with belts, cable, or old rags. I have to say, they looked hilarious in pillow helmets.

"Five on Torch," Darek muttered to Flash.

"I'll take that bet!" Flash replied.

Lex was acting as referee, and at the drop of his arm they lunged at each other.

They'd both given their solemn word to not go for anything other than the Zones, and they were moving slowly enough that any misaimed swing could be blocked, so no one was getting hurt. It was good, clean fun.

"Got your leg," Vick panted, as he scored at hit on Torch's right knee.

Torch growled and started hopping on his un-shopped-off leg, which looked really hard with all those pillows and the rod, but he managed. A few minutes later, with Torch left-arm-less and Vick right-arm-less, it was starting to heat up.

"I'm winning!" Flash crowed.

Vick was grinning as he swung the rod at Torch's right arm. "You're…losing," he gasped gleefully.

"Am not," Torch hissed through clenched teeth as he blocked the shot, wobbling on his one leg.

"Actually, Torch, you _are _losing," Lex corrected. "A hit to your right arm or your head will lose you the match."

"Fine," Torch sighed. His thumb twitched, and as he spun his staff, we saw that Torch had taped his lighter to it and had just turned it on. Flames raced along the top half of the rod, and Torch laughed. His brightly-colored hair matched the hues of the fire perfectly, so that it almost looked like he was made out of fire himself.

"Muahahahaha! Attack me now!" he cackled, spinning it so that it looked like a blurred circle of fire. "I am Torch, Lord of the Flame!"

"Cheater," Vick accused, jerking out of range.

"I'm not cheating," Torch protested, smiling broadly, acrobatically twirling his flaming staff while not getting roasted with skill only he could achieve. "The rules didn't say anything about not lighting staffs on fire."

"True," Vick agreed. Thinking fast, he lunged for Scout, snatched his glass of water from his hand, and drenched Torch and his Stick of Fiery Death, which was now steaming pathetically. "And they didn't say anything about putting out fires, either, Lord of the Flame."

Torch huffed, lifting his dripping hair out of his eyes. "Come on. I was just getting into the groove."

Lex stepped forward. "Vick wins," he announced, drawing a groan from Darek and a cheer from Flash. "On account of the Lord of the Flame's unfair advantages."

"Be that way," Torch said, sighing dramatically, setting down his singed staff. "Good fight, though, rookie," he teased good-naturedly as he untied his pillow padding. Vick rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Who wants to face Vick?" Lex asked, blue eyes searching. Scout raised a hand and stepped forward just as a small, light blue form slid through the door and stood next to me.

"So, what'd I miss?" the General asked, tugging at the hem of her nondescript sand-colored tunic. The dark shadows under her eyes were noticeably lighter, and she didn't look as sick as she used to.

I shrugged. "Eh, not much. Torch just got creamed by Vick. They're getting really good at your lightsaber forms."

She grinned, flashing her white teeth. "Good…Thanks for everything, by the way."

"You're welcome. You're looking much better. Did it help much?"

"More than you know," she said. "That was the best sleep I had in ages, and that breakfast was delicious. Um…did you tell…?"

"Nope. I figured you'd tell them when you wanted to."

"Thanks," she replied gratefully. "What's the plan for today?"

"Not much planned. We wanted to stop by Norah's, swim or something, but that was about it."

"Works for me."

Scout, putting on his pillow-padding, stumbled and started to topple over. The General reached out a hand, and a yelping Scout was gently shoved back upright by an invisible hand. Nine heads swiveled around curiously, spotted the General, and all started talking at once.

"The General's awake!" Flash cheered.

"How'd you sleep?" Darek asked.

"You okay, sir?" Lex inquired.

"…Good morning," Ace grudgingly muttered like the morning was anything but good. But he said something, which for him was a huge improvement.

Sparks nodded in greeting.

"Was breakfast okay?" said Scout anxiously.

"Did we wake you up?" Vick mumbled sheepishly.

Cade beamed. "Hello, sir!"

"Did you see my awesome fire-stick-thing?" Torch asked hopefully.

The General blinked. "Hello to everyone, I slept fine, I'm okay, breakfast was amazing, you didn't wake me up and sorry Torch, but I missed it," she replied without missing a beat. Those Omwati photographic memoires can sure come in handy.

"Aww," Torch sighed, his face falling. Then he perked up. "Well, I'll show it to you sometime."

"Do we want to continue our sparing?" Lex called out ot the group as a whole.

"Nah," Scout decided. "Let's hit the town. I've been wanting some doughnuts."

"Muffins for me," Torch chimed in. "Maybe rent some holovids to watch?"

"Hot chocolate," Vick suggested, rubbing his hands together.

"Caf," Ace rumbled, his intense ice-blue eyes looking up from his Deece rifle. We may be clones, but he's got a way deeper voice than any of us have.

The General grinned. "Alright, then, let's go."

* * *_** Mera **_* * *

You know those mornings where you just wake up happy, and you don't know why? This was one of those mornings (after I'd gotten over my flush of embarrassment of falling asleep on Chet and the realization that's he'd probably carried me here).

I practically bounced out of bed – I'd even sung to myself. I felt so much freer without my nightmares hanging over me and someone to help me get over them, I can't even describe it. And waking up to my own breakfast arranged nearly on the table, my flowers spruced up (I'd brought them with me to Telarus to add a little color and personality to my new rooms), and the chores already done was wonderful. I got that warm, tingly feeling you get when you know someone cares, the one that makes you feel that you could withstand anything the galaxy threw at you as long as you've got people who care.

What made it even better was that it wasn't raining again. On our way to Norah's, a few pale, watery rays filtered through the clouds, making everything brighter and more colorful. Even the gloomy locals seemed to perk up, waving to each other and calling out greetings. There were even streamers and banners decorating the streets, like Norah had predicted.

"Festival's soon," I said to Chet. He nodded, staring curiously at a purple flag hanging over someone's door.

"Only three days until we bang out of here," he said quietly.

The plan was to "bang out" (military lingo for "leave for the mission") during the few hours of Festival, since it would be chaotic and crowded and easy to slip away unnoticed. A pretty good plan. The only issue was blending during those first few hours – people dressed up for Festival. Plus, we had supplies we needed to smuggle out of town somehow.

I turned to Norah for help with the costume bit. The guys insisted on doing their own costumes themselves, not liking the idea of being human guinea pigs. Apparently they'd picked up some stuff on their infiltration missions, so they could make theirs themselves. On the other hand, I had basically nothing to work with, and going as a Jedi probably wouldn't be the best idea on a Sep planet, so when we reached Norah's, I asked if she'd help me get ready. She pounced on the idea happily.

"I know exactly what to do with you," she told me excitedly. "And it's a surprise, so don't even think of asking!"

While my men stuffed themselves with free samples, Norah dragged me to the back room (which was a tiny living space) and whipped out a measuring tape. "This is doing to be so freaking awesome," she cheered as she wrote down my measurements. Then she raced to a drawer and pulled out several different kinds and colors of fabric. "Close your eyes," she commanded. "I don't want you to see which one I decide on!" After a while she picked one out and started pinning it on me, muttering to herself.

This went on for three hours.

Still, I had to admit it - although I'd never say it out loud, I was actually enjoying it. Jedi didn't bother about priming and preening or really spending time on themselves, and when it wasn't annoying the heck out of me it felt sort of nice to have someone fuss over me.

Eventually, though, my men started getting impatient.

"Hey, it's getting dark out," Chet's voice called, accompanied by a rapping on the door. Norah had insisted on keeping my costume a surprise for them, too. "We need to get home. We've already finished the rest of the errands."

"Fine," Norah sighed. "I think I've got everything I need to make your costume, which, by the way, is going to be amazing! Don't open your eyes until I put this away."

Rustling sounds. A drawer opening and shutting. Clattering noises.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now."

There was Norah, standing in front of me with yellow lekku twitching and wearing a triumphant smile. She helped me off the stool she'd made me stand on and shooed me out the door. "Hurry up, I've got to get working on your dr – uh, costume!"

"…What was that about?" Torch asked, bewildered, as we found ourselves clustered outside in the street in front of Norah's shop, facing a closed door and drawn curtains.

I shrugged, just as clueless as he was. "Don't look at me."

**So, I hope this was was okay...it's more of a filler than any actual plot advancement, but hopefully it worked. Next chapter will be a filler as well, but by then I'll have finished the mission-beginning chapter. **

**There's a little button at the bottom of the page that needs to be clicked...**


	15. Day Nine: Escape!

**So, here's Chapter 13 :) Enjoy!**

_**Day Nine: Escape!**_

* * *_** Chet **_* * *

_**The day of Festival, in Norah's cafe…**_

"Why did we let ourselves get talked into this?" Scout moaned.

"Don't ask me," Flash snapped, running his hand though his center mohawk in agitation. He looked over at Torch. "And what are you supposed to be?"

"Fire," Torch replied sheepishly. He was wearing black pants, boots, and a black tunic belted around the middle by a wide shimmersilk sash. It was frayed and worn, but when the light hit it the sash seemed to flicker between orange, yellow and red like live coals. It matched his hair to a tee and was one of Torch's most prized possessions. He loved the thing.

"Figures," Darek muttered.

"What about you guys?" Vick piped up.

"Oh, nothing in particular," Flash said.

"Just two astonishingly handsome men," Darek finished. He and Flash were wearing basically the same thing – shiny knee-high black boots and black pants, complete with white turtlenecks. What was different were the sashes they had belted around their waists – Flash's was dark red to match his mohawks, and Darek's was yellow for the same reason.

Scout rolled his eyes. "Astonishingly handsome, my foot."

"You're the one who dressed up as a freaking tree," Flash protested.

"A _tree_?" Scout spluttered, outraged. "I am not a tree!"

"Uh-huh. You're wearing a forest-green tunic and headband, brown pants and black boots for fun," Darek said sarcastically.

Ace hadn't really dressed up as anything in particular, wearing a simple dark blue tunic and pants with black boots and a broad black sash along with a large, very sharp dragonsnake fang dangling from a leather thong. But that didn't make him look any less intimidating. He shot a Death Glare at Darek, who "eeped" and shut up.

Cade tried to diffuse the tension. "If anyone's got a bad outfit it's me," he said, tugging on his pale yellow tunic. "I mean, yellow and white are boring."

"It's not a bad outfit," Vick protested, looking uncomfortable in his colorful attire. "It suits you. Mine's worse – red and gold?"

I rolled my eyes at Sparks and Lex, who shrugged. Sparks was wearing black and yellow in what we assumed was a representation of electricity or something, and Lex was looking cool and calm as he always did in an outfit composed of different shades of light gray.

Me? I was dressed up in sandy-brown and light blue. The shirt was tight-fitting since I washed it and it shrunk a little, but that couldn't be helped.

Arguments were starting to break out now, so I whistled shrilly. It worked – everyone stopped complaining and fighting and looked at me. "We all look fine," I said. "And if anyone looks bad, it's me. So let's shut up and wait quietly."

And we did, for a few seconds.

"…The General and Norah are taking a while to come out," Torch said, gesturing at the door that led to the back room. It was still locked. From the time we arrived, they'd closed themselves up in there.

"What do you think's keeping them?" Scout wondered.

"It's only been ten minutes," Lex pointed out calmly. "They'll be out soon enough. Remember to call the General by name, not title. And no _Mando'a._"

"Gotcha," Torch agreed.

Right after he spoke, the door clicked and swung open, Norah stepping out and rubbing her hands together in satisfaction.

"Okay, then," Norah announced, "presenting Mera!"

The General stepped out, grumbling under her breath and blushing midnight blue in embarrassment, and I think it's accurate to say all of our jaws dropped.

Norah had made her into an angel.

A long, silky white dress fluttered elegantly all the way to the ground, and the tips of gauzy wings appeared over the General's shoulders. Norah had twisted her hair-feathers up into an elaborate knot, and a headpiece was clipped onto the hair on each side of her head, a delicate net shaped like an inverted triangle that had a teardrop-shaped jewel dangling from its tip in the middle of her forehead. Simple, attesting to the limited resources Norah had, but…really, really beautiful. That the fabric was worn or frayed in some places didn't matter at all. It made the General's light blue skin and pale hair glow.

If it was possible, the General blushed even darker blue, and twisted her hands in the folds of her dress.

"Holy…stars," Torch squeaked.

"Oh, shut up," the General mumbled.

"Seriously, though," Darek said.

"You look really nice," Flash concluded breathlessly. "Great job, Norah."

Norah beamed. "Thanks. You guys all ready?"

"As we'll ever be," Scout muttered.

Since I was closest, I offered the General my arm, and Flash and Darek gallantly did the same for Norah. The General half-smiled and slid her slim arm through the crook of my elbow.

"Unfair," Torch mumbled from behind me. I looked straight ahead, but I couldn't stop my grin.

We paraded out the door, and to be honest, I dunno why we were worried about our outfits, because we were on the lower end of the crazy/colorful costume spectrum. The air thrummed with the noise of people talking, yelling, laughing, singing, crackling booms of fireworks, and my eyes smarted with all the colors. Thankfully, after a minute or so my ears adjusted and I no longer felt like I was growing deaf or blind.

"Is everything ready?" the General muttered out the side of her mouth while eyeing the crowd with as much shock as I was. There wasn't any risk of the others hearing because of the monumental racket.

"It is," I whispered back.

This was Phase Two of the Banging-Out-of-Here Plan – over the last three days we'd trained, packed up what we could and sold what we couldn't, leaving the ship as bare as we'd found it. Said packs were now arranged in a neat line in behind Norah's, safely hidden and protected until we were able to bang out of here. We'd stashed them there so we could make a quick getaway; Scout had mapped out all the back alleyways and side streets until he knew the exact route to the outside. All we had to do was survive the first few hours of Festival so people wouldn't be suspicious, then book it and save the kid. Speaking of which, I hadn't explained the full plan of freeing everyone to the General yet, I realized. It sort of slipped my mind…Oh well, plenty of time to tell her on the trip to the slave compounds.

The General tripped, only her grip on my arm keeping her from face-planting. "First and last time I'm wearing a dress this blasted long," she muttered, holding the sides of it so it wouldn't drag and make her trip again.

The people closest to us and turned and were gawking in awe as we passed though the crowd. I saw several young men eye the General with admiring faces; my heart clenched, my blood burned, and I had a strange urge to line them up and punch them.

Maybe I should see Lex, I thought while glaring at the young men, my fists automatically clenching. Maybe I was getting sick or something…I shook it off with an effort.

"I don't think you realize how pretty you look," I scolded the General, waving a hand at the appreciative faces.

She rolled her eyes and muttered "Yeah right," then blinked and grinned at me. I stared back blankly and she only grinned wider, teasing.

"…What?" I asked in confusion.

"You just said I'm pretty."

Oh snap. I _had_ said it. Force, I was too young to die! A clone's life was short enough without getting sliced in half with a lightsaber! "Uh, I mean, um, pretty, in the sense of what they think of you," I said. "I mean, look at them, they obviously think you look nice."

I wasn't sure if she was fooled by my excuse - heck, even I didn't understand half of what I'd said - but the General looked away. "Oh. Of course."

Force, now I felt bad. "You do look nice," I mumbled.

She looked at me again. Norah had applied subtle layers of make-up to her face, just enough that it made her violet eyes look even bigger and brighter."Aww, thanks," she replied. Her blush still hadn't left her cheeks. "You do too, by the way."

This time it was me who snorted in disbelief.

The General rolled her eyes. "Oh, get over youself. All you guys look great. And your costume's nice – it's like a desert under a cloudless sky."

I stood up straighter, a silly grin on my face that I quickly wiped off. Yeah, I was definitely getting sick. "Whatever you say," I said, trying to brush off this unknown happy, tingling feeling.

Both of us turned our faces to the crowd. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Vick, eyes huge and swinging his head around, trying to take everything in, and I laughed. It was good for him to get a chance to see what life outside Kamino was like, unwind and relax for a bit. I wasn't making fun of his interest, though - I had plenty of that myself.

Kids were scampering everywhere, dashing in between people and in some cases between legs, laughing their heads off and waving flags or pinwheels. Adults congregated in large groups, chattering and laughing as well. Banners flapped nosily, streamers waved, lights strung up around buildings shone brightly, fireworks boomed and crackled.

And yet, underneath the joy, the laughter sounded too loud, the festivity too forced. "Everyone seems really…over-happy," I pointed out, trying to decide on the right word. I mean, Festival's great and all, but everyone seemed to be more happy than even this situation allowed.

The General shrugged. "They haven't had a lot to be happy about, so they're more…joyful than they'd be otherwise."

"Good point."

After a moment, the General stiffened. "Look up there," she whispered, casually directing her gaze to the tops of the buildings then glancing away. I followed her gaze and nodded.

"Yeah, I know," I murmured back.

There were guards posted up there like vultures, surveying the crowd with weapons close at hand. To be honest, though, most of them looked bored – they'd rather be part of the party than just watching everyone else enjoy it. At least bored vultures were a whole lot easier to sneak away from than alert, trigger-ready ones...

"Tell me the plan again?" the General asked, sounding slightly stressed. No wonder, too – this was her first mission since the one where her Master and everyone else had died. She had a right to be stressed. I smiled at her reassuringly.

"We'll leave once it starts to get dark out. They've stationed the guards all around the square, but only around the square, and they'll be easy enough to sneak away from. They have security cameras and scanners all along the other streets, but Sparks hacked into the security network and knows the system. He's rigged up some false images to plug into their network so they won't catch us escaping. As long as we time it right, we'll make it out of here without being spotted. The town's got a wall around it to keep out the wild and fence people in. We're going to hit the west side, the wall opposite the direction we're actually going in so that if we get caught, they'll have a false lead. If all goes well, we'll take cover in the thicket near the west corner, then circle around to the east and strike out from there. Once we get a safe distance away, we'll change out of our party clothes. Don't worry, we'll make it out okay," I finished.

The General swallowed hard. Her hand was shaking.

I slipped my arm form hers, put my hands on her slim shoulders, and turned her to face me. "Hey. I said don't worry. We'll be long gone before they even suspect we're no longer here. And remember, we're a trained infiltration squad. We've tackled jobs way harder than this before."

The General tried to smile, but her eyes were dark and her mouth drawn, and I tried to think of something else to say, help her feel better. Then music started to play, a spirited rhythm that echoed in my chest, throbbed with my blood and made my heart pound.

Good, a distraction. If anything would lift the General's spirits, it was music. I decided to put aside the depressing stuff and change to a lighter subject.

"So…what do we do now?" I asked.

"Dance," Norah answered from beside us, smiling.

"…D-Dance?" I stuttered. My stomach swooped. _Dance_? Oh, snap. I'd never danced in my life. As you might have guessed, there's not a lot of time to spend cutting a rug when you're busy saving the galaxy.

"Yes, dance!" Norah shouted back as a laughing Torch wheeled her away, his sash and multi-colored hair standing out vividly and flickering wildly like live flames.

Dance. I shuddered, then glanced at the General. Already my prediction about the music lifting the General's spirits was coming true – her eyes were sparkling, and a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. On the hand she'd slipped back through the crook of my elbow, one finger tapped out the beat.

I debated running for my life before I completely embarrassed myself in front of her, but the General grinned up at me, probably sensing my unease with those Jedi skills of hers. "Don't worry, it's easy," she reassured me. "Norah showed me how."

She stood in front of me about an arm's length away, and grasped my hands loosely. My throat went dry and I coughed, praying the General wouldn't pay attention to my face, which felt so hot it was probably redder than the suns of Tatooine. She didn't seem to notice, to my relief; she just waited until I'd cleared my throat and then showed me the footwork, slowly coaching me through the movements.

She was right, it really wasn't that hard. Once I got the hang of it, we sped up the tempo to match the beat of the music, and we danced.

_**A few hours later…**_

Someone tapped me on the shoulder, and I sighed, irritated. The rest of Gamma had taken turns dancing with the General, and my second turn had just barely started. "Come on, guys," I called over the music. I didn't bother to stop dancing, just turned in a circle with the General so I could face them. "It's still my -"

I froze. It was one of those young men who'd been eyeing the General. He shot me a haughty smirk over the General's head – her back was to him, and I had the unfortunate experience of looking at him.

The General stopped dancing as well, dropped my hands and stepped around me to see who I was staring at. She smiled at the guy and gave a polite hello, which I barely heard.

He was tall, handsome I guess, with slicked back, bleached-blonde hair (most definitely dyed), perfectly tanned skin (probably gotten in one of those cheap tanning salons), and bright blue eyes (probably wearing contacts to enhance the color). Pearly-white teeth that were most likely surgically whitened. Buff, but his muscles looked fake.

Stupid, arrogant pretty boy was stupid.

Pretty Boy whipped one hand out from behind his back and produced a rose, which he held out to the General with a wink. The General brushed one feathery strand behind her ear, flustered, and blushed, gently slipping the rose from Pretty Boy's grasp.

Stupid, arrogant pretty boy was smooth, too.

He held out a hand to the General, completely ignoring me. "May I have this dance?" he asked, flashing that blasted perfect smile and almost blinding me with its whiteness.

My eyes narrowed. Was this guy blind or something? It was obvious I'd been dancing with her. Maybe he had even less of a brain than I thought. _Back off, bozo, if you know what's good for you…_I thought. But unfortunately, neither of us was telepathic, and he didn't get the message.

Whoa. What was wrong with me? _Snap out of it_…He could dance with the General, right? He could…dance…with her...My stomach twisted at the thought of allowing him within five feet of the General, but I ignored it. I'd be the better man and actually make use of my manners...

If I looked at Pretty Boy's smile one more second I was going to kick something. I glanced around for something to distract me and found the perfect diversion - over Pretty Boy's head, across the square, I saw Lex flash me a look and discreetly tap his chrono. _Time._

Adrenaline coursed through my veins, making my senses peak and my heart race. It was time to bang out of here. I blinked at Lex to show I understood, and mentally laughed gleefully. _Sorry, Pretty Boy, no dance for you._ I nudged the General and casually fingered the strap of my own chrono. Her violet eyes flicked towards me, and I bowed my head in a nod. She got the message.

The General turned back to Pretty Boy, smiled politely again and shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I'm taken for this dance," she apologized. "Maybe next time."

Pretty Boy swept low into a bow. "I'll be waiting, Angel."

Angel. He'd called my General _Angel. _I snarled as he walked away, curling my right hand into a fist and popping my knuckles. I imagined Pretty Boy with a lump the size of Yavin on his perfect noggin. A rather nice picture, come to think of it…

The General nudged me, and I jerked out of my fantasy.

"Are you okay?" she asked, eyeing me with concern. "You were spacing out...you looked like you wanted to beat him up," she added, waving a hand at Pretty Boy's retreating back.

I rubbed my face with a hand. "I think I'm getting sick," I admitted. _Odd mood swings…weird feelings…spacing out…talking to myself and inanimate objects…even less of a temper than usual…_Yeah, I was getting sick.

She frowned worriedly. "Maybe you should have Lex check it out," she suggested quietly. Her voice shook the tiniest bit.

Bad Chet! I was freaking her out even more than she already was. She didn't need something else to worry about. "I was already planning on it," I assured her. It wasn't too much of a lie, I _had _been thinking about it.

The General bit her lip and nodded.

"Hey, I'm okay," I reassured her. Then I got an idea. I grinned devilishly. "Come on, let's see a smile, Princess!"

My genius plan worked. The Genera was instantly distracted from her fear and her eyes narrowed. "How many times how I told you not to call me that, Soldier Boy?" she growled, poking me in the chest with a finger.

I shrugged modestly. "I'm an ARC. Since when do I listen to anyone, Princess?"

"Touché," she conceded, rolling her eyes, and she sighed, giving me a lopsided grin. She took one of my hands so we wouldn't lose each other as we weaved our way towards Lex though the excited, jostling crowd. My heart did that weird, fluttering thing again.

"Let's get this show on the road!" she declared.

**And so it begins...**

**Review!**


	16. Akk Dogs are Stupid

**Sorry I'm late updating, but I was on vacation for Thanksgiving and I forgot my flashdrive, so I couldn't update :/ Then of course my teachers decide to pile on the homework the next day after Thanksgiving Break. And then my computer crashed. But anyways, I hope you like this chapter :)**

**Enjoy!**

_**Akk Dogs are Stupid**_

* * *_** Mera **_* * *

We discreetly slipped into the alley behind Norah's café, unnoticed by any of the bored guards. Lex was already there, sitting cross-legged against the wall with his backpack on his lap at an angle where no one from the street would be able to see him. Torch and Sparks had turned up too and were fiddling around with Sparks' datapad.

Chet let go of my hand – I blinked and blushed, I hadn't realized I was still holding it – and crossed to the wall, where our packs were lined up neatly. He one-handedly tossed me mine and hefted his own, slinging it over his broad shoulders, and sat down next to Lex. He nodded at me and patted the ground next to him. I smiled and carefully sat down, adjusting my long skirt.

I was still holding the flower that guy gave me, and I fingered its velvet petals gently; no one had ever gotten me flowers before...

Well, I was a Jedi, my voice of reason pointed out. Jedi aren't normally given flowers by cute guys who asked them to dance. It's not really our sort of thing, and honestly, most people wouldn't even consider it. But Jedi or not, the gesture made me feel warm inside. Happy.

"What're you going to do with that?" Chet muttered, pointing to the rose.

I set it down in my lap embarrassedly. "…I think I'll keep it," I decided, tracing its petals again.

"It's a flower. It's not going last the mission," he pointed out.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious." I shrugged. "I don't care. I'm going to keep it." I checked for thorns, then slid it behind my ear and fixed it in place with a clip.

"Why?" Chet asked, letting a baffled tone seep into his voice. "It's a _flower_."

I sighed. "Don't you dare laugh at me," I warned.

He blinked. "Why would I do that, Princess?"

I braced myself, just in case. "No one's bothered to give me a flower before," I replied, trying not to sound childish or like some pathetic romantic. "It's special."

He digested that, then nodded. "…Oh. Okay."

I blinked. That wasn't the reaction I'd been expecting. "That's it? You don't care that I'm getting all worked up over some silly rose?"

He snorted. "Come on, Princess. 'Course not. If it's special to you, then fine."

I punched his shoulder, then held back a wince. Those guys have muscles hard as rock. "Hey, how was I supposed to know?" I protested.

Chet laughed. We sat in companionable silence for a second, then Chet reached into his pack and pulled out a bag of slightly squashed cookies. "Here," he mumbled. "Thought these might help you relax."

I smiled slowly. "Thanks, Chet," I said quietly, taking the bag.

He shrugged modestly, but when I caught his eye he was grinning. "Eh, no biggie."

We passed around the bag and munched on cookies until everyone else had arrived. Gamma Squad took to their formation with silent military precision.

Chet slipped on earbud comlink into my hand. "Click your jaw to turn it on."

"Gotcha," I murmured back and fit it into my ear.

Ace clicked off the safety on his rifle and grinned, exposing canine teeth that were slightly sharper and longer than his brothers'. One of the many unique quirks they all had. "This is where the fun begins," he declared.

With that statement, the mission began.

"Sparks, you ready for this?" I muttered, switching into General mode. Focusing on the here and now and how to keep everyone alive, and only that. The guys seemed different as well – they were now professional, hardened soldiers, ready and impatiently waiting to do what they were made to do.

Sparks nodded, and lifted his datapad to show me. He had an aerial view of the town pulled up, with glowing red dots indicating cameras and yellow ones for guard stations. There was a cluster of blue spots – us, judging by the location.

"It will automatically recalculate our route as we go," Sparks rumbled in his deep baritone.

"Sparks, you're a genius," I said fervently.

He blushed.

"Wow, you've been busy, mate," Flash said admiringly. "So that's what you've been up to the last three days."

"Good work, bro," Darek congratulated.

Sparks rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment and shrugged.

It was time to get cooking. "Okay. Sparks, what's the deal?" I asked.

He narrowed his eyes and typed something in on his datapad, pushed a button, and pulled up a holograph. "Our route," he stated, sketching the way with his finger and outlining it in green. "Camera One," he said, pointing at a red dot in the middle of the alleyway that branched off the one behind Norah's. "Alternates between watching the opposite sides of the street every thirty seconds. It's hidden in the corner of a window ledge."

"That's too fast for us to get through that alley without being seen," I muttered out loud. And the alleys were thin enough that two people walking side by side would be a stretch…

Sparks reached into a pouch he'd secured onto his belt and pulled out a dataport. "This has two pictures on it – one of the far end of the street, and one of the near end, timed to switch between the two every thirty seconds. If I can simply plug this in, then all the camera will see are the two fake images."

"Sweet! Invisibility!" Flash crowed.

"Alright," I said, thinking fast. "Torch, go with Sparks. Boost him up to the camera so he can work his magic."

Sparks nodded in agreement, and Torch saluted. "Right on ya, boss."

"Sparks, how much time do we have until the camera switches to the opposite side of the street?" I asked.

He checked his datapad. "Twenty-one seconds."

"As soon as it switches directions, get in there," I directed. My heart gave a nervous thump; he had only thirty seconds to intercept the camera feedback. And if we were caught…I pictured guards gunning us down, and my breathing sped up.

Chet put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed lightly. I smiled up at him in thanks and forced my tense muscles to relax.

Sparks passed his datapad to Cade, and he and Torch inched towards the alley, Sparks clutching his dataport and a tiny screwdriver.

"Ten seconds," Cade reported. "Five…four…three…two…one."

Sparks and Torch launched themselves into the alley, Torch instantly sinking into a crouch and Sparks clambering up onto his shoulders.

"…Twenty-five," Cade counted.

Torch straightened up, and Sparks, balancing easily, reached into the window ledge corner, quickly unscrewed a panel.

"…Twenty..."

Colored wires slipped out, and Sparks twisted some, shoved others aside, and deftly hooked up his dataport, then rapidly pressed several buttons.

"…Five..."

Sparks quickly re-screwed the panel, then turned to us and grinned broadly. "Done," he announced quietly. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

Cade checked the timer. "Three seconds to spare," he said. "Great job, guys! New record!"

Sparks and Torch slipped out of the alley, and Sparks leaped off Torch's shoulders. His brothers thumped him on the shoulders in praise, then took up formation again.

"Let's move," I said.

* * *_** Chet **_* * *

We dealt with the rest of the cameras the same way, Sparks the techno-genius plugging in his false images. With everyone partying back in the square, the rest of the town seemed eerily quiet. I was worried about the General, but other than the tense set of her shoulders and the moment back at the first camera were she'd started to hyperventilate, she was doing brilliantly - she was an able commander, smart, brave, organized…

Ahem. Anyways.

Now, we were pressed up against a wall, peering out at the wide street that circled the edge of the town and the huge wall that barricaded the place from the outside. Or, at least, peering out at what we could see – it was now officially nighttime, complete with oppressing blackness, since the edge of town had no streetlights. Our brighter costumes, especially the General's, were practically glowing in the dark. Not good, but what else could we do at the moment?

Back to the problem at hand.

"Okay," Scout whispered, scanning the walltop with his binoculars. "It's just like it was before - a mixture of droids and humans. If I'm right, which I'm pretty sure I am, the guards will switch in about…two and a half minutes, and it ought to take roughly one minute."

"We can make our move then," the General decided. "If we can make it over without being seen, all the better. Bodies tend to point to a breakout."

We waited in the dark for Scout's two and a half minutes. My muscles started cramping up with cold; once night fell, the place turned _freezing_. I was determined to not even shiver, though – the smallest flicker of movement would probably draw someone's eye. Finally, the patrols on the walltop, after one final sweep, made their way to a small guardhouse.

"Go, go, go!" The General whispered harshly. We raced out of cover and sprinted for the wall. My cramped muscles shrieked with pain, but I ignored them like I'd been trained and calmly focused on the task at hand, breathing out of my mouth slowly so that no one could hear me breathe.

We'd decided that using cable launchers to get over the wall wouldn't work - the launchers' hooks would've left marks in the smooth wall, and they were a tad bit too loud for a secret escape started to slip cable launchers out of our belts, so we turned to our resident Force-user.

Unfortunately, there wasn't any place (other than the wall, obviously) high enough to practice Force-flying…The General had tried to describe what she'd do and what it would feel like, but she hadn't been able to do it. Apparently, using the Force was more of a feeling – not something she could actually describe.

The General stared up at the wall calculatingly, then looked back at us. "Okay," the General murmured, so quiet I would've thought I hadn't heard anything at all if her lips hadn't moved. "Don't scream. Try to land quietly."

I swallowed, the rest of my squad exchanging nervous looks. Cade, way more optimistic than the rest of us, shot the General a thumbs-up and an encouraging smile.

An instant later, my feet lifted off the ground and me and my brothers were silently and suddenly flung up at the top of the wall. It was pretty much the most terrifying thing I'd ever done – I couldn't feel anything holding me up in midair, just wind _whooshing_ past me so quickly it felt like my face was peeling off.

We cleared the walltop and whatever thing was holding us up let go. We all rolled silently to a stop on the guardwalk and tried to restart our hearts. I was pretty sure none of us had moved a muscle, in case the slightest twitch sent us plummeting back down to the hard stone street.

Then there was another _whoosh_, and then the General, arms outspread, appeared in front of us. For a second, her pale hair and white dress shone, and she really did look like an angel, all sparkly-glowy and otherworldly. My breath caught.

She didn't tuck and roll to a stop like normal (that would be pretty awkward in a dress), but touched down lightly, feet-first. Her arms dropped back to her sides, and she blew her bangs out of her face. The fancy Norah had put it in had pretty much dissolved into a mess of curls, but she looked much more like the General I knew now.

She took a moment to catch her breath and gather her concentration again as we stood up (Scout, Vick, and Torch silently untangling themselves from the dogpile they'd landed in).

Everything was going perfectly, which of course meant something had to go wrong.

Down on the ground on the town side of the wall, something snarled. Scout, closest to the edge, peered over and went white as a flurry of barking and growls erupted. _Akk dog_, Scout mouthed. Thinking quickly, he reached into his belt, pulled out a hunk of nerf jerky and threw it over the side. The barks stopped, and the creature raced away after Scout's treat…but the damage was done.

The General frantically tried to send us flying to safety, but there was no way she could've done it in time. The doors to the guardhouse nearest us smashed open, and around ten battle droids poured out onto the walltop, a few humans and aliens mixed in as well.

It wasn't the number of bad guys that worried me - we'd been in worse circumstances before. Only ten droids and four people? Pfft. Amateur work for us trained professionals. Nope, the bad guys were cake.

I was worried about the General. Would she be okay? I glanced at her, but her face was blank. Even I, a clone used to all the tiny signs and gestures that helped you recognize things in a sea of identical faces, couldn't tell what she was thinking. My hands tightened around my twin handguns. If the guards hurt her in any way, they'd be _toast_. The General wasn't going to get hurt, not on my watch; she'd had a sucky enough life without more bad luck being added.

* * *_** Mera **_* * *

It was happening all over again. Just like last time. Just like the mission where everything fell apart.

I kept my face devoid of emotion, but inside, I was trying not to have a panic attack. I glanced backwards at my squad, and met Chet's concerned gaze – concern for _me_. I got a sudden lump in my throat. He was completely confident, ready to kick some Seppie rear; instead of worrying about the fight, he was scared for _me. _

My fists clenched as my panic evaporated. This time, I was determined to change the nightmare – there was no way I was going to let my men die for me. Not Chet, not Torch, not any of them. The nightmare wasn't going to rule my life anymore.

I stepped forward, towards the guards, and did the first thing that came to mind. I flashed my most winning, innocent smile. Me, a Jedi trying to escape with her troopers to carry out a secret mission? Never!

"Uh, hi. 'Sup?"

Jaws dropped, some of them from my squad.

The only reason we hadn't been attacked and/or killed yet was because the guards were surprised to find eleven people dressed up for a fancy party walking the walltops. Combined with my remark, they were utterly flabbergasted. Perfect. I clicked my jaw to activate my communicator, to be sure that my whisper would reach the ears of all my troopers.

"I'll take the people. You guys take the droids."

I launched myself at the humans, feet first (I was VERY thankful I was wearing leggings under my skirt) and my boots collided the first guy's head, making a sold _thunk_. He went down like a sack of potatoes as behind me, Ace did the obvious thing.

He lifted his gun. "Die, tinnies!" he growled.

Instinct took over. I pivoted, flipped into the air and used droids as stepping stones to reach my other victims, leaping from metal shoulder to head to shoulder and tipping most of them over.

My guys had silencers on their guns, so only a soft _pfft_ sounded as blasters were fired, and before the tinnies realized what was happening, they'd all been taken out. Droids, as you may already know, aren't the brightest crayons in the box.

The people's reaction was quicker, but they were still unprepared and not quite up to Jedi standards. A Twi'lek and a human were out cold, sprawled on the pavement in seconds, and I thanked the Force for Jas' unarmed combat training. Knowing pressure points really came in handy.

I eyed my last opponent, a Weequay, who sneered and crouched down into a fighting stance.

It would be so much easier just to shoot him, but that went against everything I believed. So I resigned myself to a good boxing match and mirrored his stance. We circled cautiously until the Weequay lashed out. I ducked under the blow, remembering Jas' advice. I was tiny, light, and quick, and of course I had the Force on my side; an option was to let a taller, heavier bad guy tire himself out, then strike with lightning-fast blows he couldn't deflect. Or, of course, let him think he was winning and wait for him to do something stupid.

The Weequay tired to sweep my legs out from under me, but I jumped up. I was trying to make my evasions look clumsy and like they were pure luck, so the guy would get overconfident and waste his strength, and it was working.

He cackled, feinted, and lunged forward, sure he'd get me this time. To his credit, he probably would've, but the Force surged in warning and I sidestepped at the last second. As he skidded past me I lashed out with a punch, my elbow smashing behind his head on the bottom hollow part, aiming up. A one-hit KO. He dropped like a rock.

"You really shouldn't have charged me," I chided, shaking my now numb hand. Force, that guy had really hard, rough skin.

I looked back. A metal carpet of offlined droids, smoking slightly, littered the walltop and beyond it, there were my guys, none the worse for wear, thank the Force.

They were staring at me. I flushed. "What?"

"It's the small people that are the most dangerous," Flash said. Darek nodded.

I rolled my eyes. "You guys took out the droids," I mumbled. "I just had the five people."

"Do you hear yourself?" Flash asked disbelievingly. "You took _four armed opponents_ down in, like, _thirty seconds_! And you knocked over most of the droids on your attack run. You were all, bam, pow, wa-cha!"

"Oh, shut up," I muttered. I was pretty sure my face was midnight blue now. Just great. "I'm a Jedi, remember? They had no chance."

"No, really -" Flash persisted. I broke in before he could really take off.

"Can we discuss this other than on the walltop? Like…maybe on the other side, _after_ we've finished escaping?"

"Yeah, sure -"

"STOP IT!" Chet whispered-yelled. He clapped his hand over Flash's mouth and flashed me an apologetic look. "Sorry, General. When Flash gets hyped up on adrenaline, he gets chatty."

"It's okay." I looked around at the mess we'd created. "Alright," I said, my mind working quickly. "Let's get them all into the guardhouse and go from there."

We dragged our victims inside and dumped them unceremoniously on the floor. Ace, being Ace, let his prisoner thump to the stone floor and gave him a good kick.

"What's the plan?" Torch asked.

I absently tapped my chin with my finger. "Hmm…" Then I saw the unopened bottle sitting on the counter table in the middle of the room. "Bingo!"

"We're going to play bingo?" Vick asked in confusion.

"Nope!" I ran to the table and scooped up the bottle, popping the seal.

Oh…my…Force. I gagged at the strong fumes that slunk out of the bottle, quickly holding the thing away from my face. I'd be lucky if I was able to breathe normally again. I didn't drink (the same for Chet and his squad), and the nasty fumes just solidified that choice further.

For current purposes, though, whatever kind of alcohol was in the bottle would do the trick nicely. Still holding the bottle an arm's-length away, I caught Chet's eye, smiling meaningfully. He grinned back, getting my plan.

"See this?" I shook the bottle gently, and my squad nodded. "It's some kind of alcohol."

Shaking it might not have been the best idea, as the stink spread faster. Flash choked, and Darek pinched his nose shut, eyes watering, as the fumes reached them. "Must be strong stuff," Flash wheezed.

I nodded. "Sooo…if we empty it out and set it up like they drank it all…"

"They'll think it was all one big hallucination!" Vick finished.

"Genius," Flash crowed.

I gave the bottle to Scout, who held it like it was a live bomb. He walked it out and we heard liquid slosh over the wall. In a moment, Scout came back in, with an expression of extreme distaste. "Nasty stuff," he muttered. "It was _gloppy. _Even that stupid dog doesn't deserve that slop."

He set the empty bottle on the table and wiped his fingers on his pants.

"Okay," I continued. "We'll make it look like the bad guys got drunk and shot the droids. Dump them on the floor like they collapsed, with guns in hand. Ace, Sparks, Scout, can you help me get the droids?"

We lugged everything inside and started setting up the scene. Let me tell you, it was _not_ a pleasant job.

"I think these guys were a little doped up to begin with," Torch said, sounding choked, his face screwed up as he arranged his prisoner's limbs. "They reek!"

Flash, his fancy red sash tied around his nose in an effort to block the stink, just nodded fervently. He'd calmed down some after his adrenaline high and was quiet - or maybe it was the smell.

We finished as quickly as we could, then raced back outside to complete our escape. Scout whipped out his binoculars and scanned the land.

"All clear," he mouthed, stuff them back into his belt.

Closing my eyes, I stopped thinking, sank into myself and reached the point where I just _was_ and I could practically feel the Force moving in me and everything else. I felt my midochlondirans whisper to those in each of my squad, the Force flowing in them, and tossed my guys up and over the wall like I was throwing a ball. When it felt right, I slowed their freefall until they were hovering a foot over the ground, then let them drop.

Flinging ten buff army men over a fifteen foot wall isn't easy, in case you were wondering. I took a second for my shaking muscles to stop vibrating, catch my breath and make sure I wasn't going to faint, then jumped over the wall myself. I landed in a crouch, head bowed and one arm touching the ground for balance. A good tuck and roll was a much easier and more comfortable way to land, but my skirt would get tangled around my legs.

I scampered up, shaking a little from the strain, and joined my squad in the dense thicket near the wall. Chet tossed me his canteen. I shot him a grateful smile and waterfalled a decent mouthful as I checked out my squad.

Unruffled Ace, the only one not outwardly affected, was leaning against a tree and watching everyone with his usual aloof expression. Lex had two fingers pressed against his jaw, carefully checking his pulse, and Flash and Darek had either passed out or were kissing the ground. Torch was shuddering and clutching a medium-sized boulder, Sparks was carefully inspecting his equipment, Vick had flopped limply to the ground and was taking deep breaths, Scout was panting and wide-eyed, and a concerned Cade had a hand on Scout's back to prevent him from keeling over.

Poor guys, guess they weren't used to Force-flying, as Master used to call it.

Chet walked over to stand next to me and gave me a silent, impressed nod. I smiled back, feeling an odd, un-Jedi-like sense of pride that he thought I'd done a good job. I quickly squashed it and stepped forward to get my squad's attention.

Scout again scanned the perimeter, and nodded the go-ahead.

I pointed two fingers towards the east – the universal signal for "move out".

We darted out of cover and pressed ourselves against the wall, so that for anyone to see us they'd have to lean out a whole lot more than was safe. We moved quickly and silently, not stopping for rest, and within two hours we'd made around the wall to the other side.

Using a nearby pile of boulders as cover, we took a quick breather.

"You guys did great with the Force-flying," I congratulated.

Flash grinned. "It was freaking AWESOME!"

"Can we do it again?" Darek asked.

Lex rolled his eyes, and Vick groaned. "Please no…"

I smiled, then caught sight of Scout rummaging through his belt. "What's up?" I asked.

Scout frowned. "That was my last piece of jerky," he complained. "Stupid akk dog."

**So...how was it? I love feedback, please review!**


	17. Marching Far Away

**So, it's not very action-filled, but it had some things I wanted to add in. It'll pick up soon (muhahaha)...**

_**Marching Far Away**_

* * *_** Mera **_* * *

It took us past midnight to find a good camp far enough away from the city, but at least we found a good one - as campsites go, it could definitely be worse. The whole planet was basically hard gray dirt, swamp and rock, but it did have some dense clumps of trees and brush. Unfortunately, most were near cities, as the original inhabitants apparently liked to settle near cover – the thickets provided good hunting, protection, and a break from the wide-open plain. We'd been lucky to find this one, out in the middle of nowhere as we were.

By that time, I truly hated that blasted dress – it had an uncanny gift for snagging on every single stick, rock and bush out there, as well as tripping me up at every opportunity it got. The thing was _dangerous; _I could've sworn it was out to get me_._

After I slipped on my usual red and gold jumpsuit (with a feeling of immense relief), I walked out of the thicket so that Chet and the guys could change out, too. They took it in turns to don their bulky commando armor, which they'd strapped to the outside of their smaller-sized packs with their various weapons. Like Jedi, they didn't have many possessions – a tunic or two, their armor, a few personal effects. You didn't need much more than a carry-on for that.

They seemed different in their armor, and not only because the dull gray color blended in so well with the landscape that in the darkness they looked like floating heads. They acted the same, but the armor was a cruel reminder of the way things worked. I was the General, they were my soldiers.

I gritted my teeth. Stupid rules.

I got to my feet to check up on how everyone was doing. Stupid, unfair hierarchy or not, they were still my friends.

* * *_** Ace **_* * *

I dropped my pack and set up my bedroll, then sat apart from the others on a nearby fallen log.

I admit it, I'm a loner. I always was, even before my squad was massacred. Didn't make sense to get to know someone if they were only going to get shot and die eventually. But when you fight alongside people, getting to know them is something you can't stop from happening, no matter how much you want to. And when they do get killed, you've got this empty hole gouged out inside of you, and you're on our own, trying to find some way to cope, to stay standing. Even though you're the only one left.

The existence of a clone can be summed up in four words: life sucks, then you die.

My way of dealing with it is simple. Not perfect, but it works – I'm still here, after all.

For every comrade that died, I had their ID tags. Part of my memorial service, I guess you could call it. I'm just relieved that we made it out of town safely and I don't have another pair to add to my collection. It gets hard to keep track of them all.

I slipped the tags out of my belt and turned them over in my hand, the metal as cold as the barrel of my rifle leaning against my arm.

"_Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum_," I muttered. As I spoke, I turned over each tag, rubbing my thumb over the letters engraved. I already knew what they said. "Joker. Scotch. Fixer. Davon. Teach. Aron." I heard boots approaching and looked up.

"Hey, Ace," the General greeted, friendly as ever. "What're you doing?"

The General was okay, I suppose – far better than other people I'd had the misfortune to meet - but I'm not exactly the most social of people. I shrugged, hoping she'd just keep on walking.

She didn't. She sat down at the other end of the log. Oh, joy.

I could just stay silent, or chase her away, or get up and leave. All tempting options. But as shocking as it is, I'm not completely without manners. If someone asks you a direct question, you ought to take a moment to answer. So I sighed and sucked it up.

"Remembering," I answered shortly.

She winced. "Oh. Sorry."

I shrugged. "It's fine. I was done anyways."

The General ducked her head. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

I shrugged again.

"_Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum_," she recalled.

She must've heard me earlier. Omwati and their perfect memories.

"What does that mean? I don't know Mando'a completely," she admitted.

I touched the tags again. Their chains clicked together. "It means, 'I'm still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal'," I said quietly.

The General thought that over. "…It's beautiful," she said softly.

"You follow it by saying the names of those remembered. It's a Mando tradition," I finished. There. Question answered. Walk away now.

The General considered that, then got to her feet, getting that I was done talking. Sometimes that Jedi intuition comes in handy. "Thanks for taking the time to talk to me, Ace," she said sincerely.

"'Welcome."

She nodded and smiled, then padded off to help Vick, who was clearing sticks and stones out from under his bedroll. If the planet had nothing else, it had rocks, and lots of them. But that didn't seem to bother the General at all – she simply Force-pushed the whole lot away. A tired Vick nodded thankfully.

You know, she really wasn't so bad.

For a Jedi, that is.

* * *_** Mera **_* * *

After Ace, Vick was the last person to check up on. And I had a nagging feeling that it was Vick who needed it most.

"So, how was your first battle?" I asked Vick, after I swept out the rocks for him.

He picked up a stick and doodled in the dirt, avoiding my eyes. "…Cool," he said uncertainly.

I tilted my head, worried. "You sure? You know you can tell me the truth. I don't bite."

Vick hesitated, then sighed. "It wasn't anything like I expected," he admitted. "I mean, all my life I trained for a real fight, and I was excited to finally get to do it. I mean, it's what I was made to do…But it wasn't exactly like how they said."

"It never is," I told him. "Nothing can really prepare you for war."

"They made it sound like it was the greatest thing we could ever do, fight and die for the Republic. It was the _only _thing us clones could do," he added bitterly. "Still, though, I was glad to fight. But…I was scared," he confessed. This was what had been really bothering him, I could tell. "I didn't want to die. I didn't want any of us to die." He hung his head. "I'm a coward."

"Hey," I said sharply – he wouldn't listen if I spoke gently.

Vick looked up, surprised.

"You'd be stupid if you weren't afraid when you fight. Fear helps keep you and yours alive. It's okay to be brave, but it's just dumb to be totally fearless. You did good, Vick. You were afraid, but you still stayed, right? A coward lets fear rule them and runs when things get tough."

He nodded and looked a bit better, but my heart still throbbed with sympathy. I put a hand on his shoulder. Vick stiffened, but didn't flinch away, which I took as a good sign.

"If you ever need to talk about anything," I reminded him. "I'm here. No war lasts forever."

He smiled, the shame vanishing from his face. "Thanks, General," he said softly.

"Anytime, Vick."

I got up to give him some time to think. Poor guy…he'd just been given a hard, cold reality check. Well, more like a reality slap. He'd need some time to get used to it – something no one could help him do, but himself.

Now that my job was done, I took a moment to think thought about what Ace said. I got an idea.

I walked over to my duffel bag that I'd dumped on top of my bedroll and took out my holoprojector, but I hesitated before I pressed the button. A few months before IT happened, to celebrate Lifeday, I took pictures of everyone – Master, Jas, Wings, Tank – and gave them all (including me) their own holoprojector with the pictures I took on it. Then we went on that last mission (IT), and I didn't take my holoprojector out anymore. It just reopened wounds that were having trouble healing in the first place.

But now…I wanted to look at the pictures again. To – remember. Not the bad stuff, like IT, but the good times before that. I took a deep breath, shoved away my nervousness, and pressed the on-button.

The very first picture that popped up was one I hadn't thought about in a while. There were Wings, Tank, and Les, sneaking up on Jas with cans of whipped cream and looking at the camera with cheeky smiles. Once I got over the kicked-in-the-gut feeling that came with the realization that I'd never see them again, I grinned a little at the memory. That had been such an awesome prank…I stared into their faces and whispered the Mando phrase Ace taught me.

"_Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum. _Wings. Tank. Les."

I went to the next one, and there was Flex, tinkering with his prosthetic arm, showing me the wiring and structure of it. I think Jas took that one... "Flex."

Next picture. Jett and Timer, beaming at the camera. Timer was holding up a handheld remote, his finger on a red button, and behind them, a bomb was frozen in mid-explosion. "Jett. Timer."

A candid photo of Tracker, who looked totally surprised, his mouth half-open. I had to laugh at his expression. "Tracker."

A clone, more lanky than his brothers, was bending over and stroking the sleek black fur of a spukama (a Corellian cat). It was rubbing its cheek against his hand, eyes closed. Skit always did have a way with animals, even if he wasn't the greatest people-person. Skit tended to be a bit skittish around people. "Skit."

The next one made my self-control crumble. "Master..." I whispered, sounding like I was choking.

When we got bored, waiting for something to happen, we'd think of random games. This one used to be one of our favorites. Master had a small cookie in the center of his forehead, and he was trying to get it down to his mouth. You couldn't use your hands or the Force, just your facial muslces. Master's face was scrunched up, with one eye open and the other shut, and he was laughing, even though as far as the game went, he was failing epically.

I couldn't help it. Through my tears, I started to laugh too. The two combined to make a bizarre, hiccupping-choking noise. If my squad didn't already think I was crazy, they would now.

Behind me, someone coughed. I quickly mopped my face off, fixed a smile in place, and turned. "What's up?"

Chet gave me a piercing stare. "You all right?"

"Fine," I said. Even to me, I didn't sound very convincing.

He hesitated. "You sure…?"

I nodded. But of course, Chet took that as a no. Stubborn ARC.

He started to sit, and with a sigh I reluctantly scooted over to make room on my bedroll so he wouldn't have to sit on the ground.

Chet shifted uncomfortably - the Katarn-class commando armor was supposed to be horrible to sit in - and cupped his chin in his hand, his elbow resting on his knee. "What's up, Princess? And don't give me that look. You checked up on everyone, and now you need someone to check up on you."

I shrugged, not even bothering to shoot him a glare for that nickname. "Eh, just my usual issues coming back to haunt me."

"Ah." He blinked sympathetically. "Want to talk about it?"

He'd force it out of me sooner or later. I showed him my holoprojector and told him its story.

He listened quietly. "They're not gone," he corrected when I was finished. "_Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la_. Not gone, merely -"

"- marching far away," I completed, finishing the translation of a Mandalorian phrase for the departed I'd forgotten about. It used to be one of Jas' favorite sayings…it started lifting my spirits instantly. For that matter, just talking to Chet made me feel better. He was just one of those people you could confide in.

We sat in silence for a moment, then I spoke up. "My turn to ask a question."

He raised an eyebrow. "Sure you're not just changing the subject?"

"I'm not changing the subject, Chet."

He grinned. "Just checking. Fire away."

"Can you tell me what's on your armor?" I asked curiously. There was something sketched in dark ink on his right arm, on his chestplate, and more on his left arm, but it was too dark to see it well.

Chet's smile got bigger. "'Course, Princess." He looked down at his armor. "Hmm…well, to start off with, everyone in the squad's got the letter for 'gamma' painted over his heart." It was a symbol shaped like an upside-down L – an Γ – and not very fancy, but I liked it. "We decided bright colors wouldn't help much in the stealth department, so that's why everything's drawn in black."

I laughed. "Makes sense."

Chet grinned and continued. "I've got a circle of ten dots on my left shoulder pad to show my rank in the squad. In the center is a 'C' for Chet – or captain. Take your pick. And on my right arm I've got a rough sketch of a krayt dragon."

"Can I see it?" I asked.

Chet nodded. I reached out and took his arm, angling it towards the small lamp Scout had set up on the far side of the camp so I could see the design.

"Wow," I breathed. The roaring, sinuous krayt dragon, painted on the different sections of armor plating that covered his arm, twisted upwards from his knuckle plate to his shoulder plate. It was pretty impressive; not very detailed, but very fierce. I traced the five horns on its crest and its spiny dorsal ridge.

Chet flushed. "Like I said, it's a rough sketch, not very fancy. I was going to finish it, but I never got around to it, and I'd probably mess it up anyways -"

I interrupted his rambling. "Hey, 'wow' means I like it. It's great! Does it stand for anything in particular?"

His flush got deeper. "Uh…courage, perseverance, power. Warrior stuff," he mumbled.

I let go of his arm and shoved him. "Don't be embarrassed. It fits."

Chet smiled. "Thanks, Princess." He eyed his arm, his gloved hand following the same path I'd traced. "Would…would you like to finish it for me?"

My jaw dropped. A clone's armor is something near and dear to his heart, something that told his story and his part in the war. And Chet was offering me the honor of adding to it?

Chet rubbed the back of his neck. "You don't have to if you don't want to," he said softly.

I flung my arms around his neck, surprising both him and me. I coughed and moved away a little. "Of course I want to, Soldier Boy," I said, touched. "Thank you."

Chet gave me a smile, a real one that lit up his face. "You're the one doing me a favor. You draw much better than I do."

"Thank - Wait a second." I narrowed my eyes. "How do you know I draw?" Had he seen my drawings of him and the rest of the squad? Oh, snap…

"Uh, just a hunch," Chet quickly explained. "You seem like the artistic type."

Hmm. Suspicious much?

"Hey, General, Chetster!" Flash called, him and the rest of the squad gathered around the lamp. "Time to rejoin the living!"

"Coming," I called back. Chet quickly stood and offered me his hand, which I took with a smile. He took care to tug lightly, so I wouldn't be flung to the other side of the thicket when he pulled me to my feet.

We walked back to the lamp together. I shot Chet a glance out of the corner of my eye, and something inside me…changed. I might've been his General, and Chet my soldier, but he was my best friend. I wasn't going to be all distant and calculating and view him as a tool to be used and thrown away like I was supposed to. Master hadn't cared about rules, either – I'd take a leaf out of his book and do the same.

After all, a very wise person once said that rules were made to be broken.

**Review! The button is calling you...**


	18. The Strange Doings of Gamma Squad

**Happy New Year's! 2011...holy cow. **

**Anyways, enjoy! A warning, though: this chapter is kinda fluffy. Beware the Fluff!**

_**The Strange Doings of Gamma Squad**_

* * *_** Chet **_* * *

I don't think the General believed me about me having a hunch about her drawing abilities, but what was I supposed to say? "Uh, so that one night when you fell asleep and I was taking you back to your room, I saw your pictures and they were amazing but I didn't want you to be upset or something if you found out I saw them when I wasn't supposed to?"

Yeah. A tad bit awkward.

I've got no idea what possessed me to offer her the completion of my krayt dragon sketch, but I rather liked the idea. She'd do a great good job on it, way better than I could. Besides, if a clone's armor tells his story, it seemed right that she should be a part of it.

I'll admit it - I'd been worried that she'd become the good little Jedi General and distance herself from us now that we were actually on our mission, but she didn't, not at all. If anything, she was more a part of everything that before.

We walked over to join everyone at the lamp for a Gamma tradition: when we were on a mission and it was possible to do so, before we went to bed we'd get in a circle and talk, just hang out. Or, to use Flash's term, "chillax." Yeah, it sounds boring, but honestly, it's how we got to know each other as well as we do, and it's really relaxing after a long day of blowing stuff up and nearly dying. It was one of the things that kept me sane. And it really is a good way to catch up with each other.

I tried to give the General the log Lex had rolled over to sit on, but she insisted on sitting on the ground like everyone else, the stubborn Jedi (how can you be chivalrous if the person doesn't accept it?) I sat down next to her, shifting uncomfortably. My armor's saved me more times than I can count, but whoever made it forgot we'd need to sit down. It was downright painful.

Flash was telling a story we'd heard about a million times – a comic narrative of when he was a typical rebellious young ARC clone and a prank he pulled on his instructors (one of his favorite accomplishments). We laughed, the General especially, and we went around the circle, taking it in turns to tell a story or share a particular talent.

* * *_** Mera **_* * *

Way before I was ready, it was nearly my turn. I really had no idea of what I could do…I wanted to do something special, like the others had done, but what could I do?

Maybe I could show my sketches? No, I didn't have anything particularly special to show. Jedi moves? Nah, they'd already seen those. Tell a story? Nothing came to mind.

That was pretty much the extent of my talents…except for one thing. But there was no way I was going to sing! I hadn't sung in front of anyone before, not even Master…

But then again, I couldn't _not_ do anything, because that would be just plain rude.

But singing in front of everyone – I gulped. I'd never sung in front of anyone…

Chet, with that uncanny instinct he had for people's feelings, gave me a look of concern and reached out and squeezed my shoulder, which gave me the confidence I needed. He wouldn't care if I did badly, only that I'd had the guts to do get up there and sing anyways.

After Torch was done demonstrating his fire-breathing – he very proudly called it "Dragon's Breath" – I'd chosen my song and was ready. It was a favorite of mine, even if it was an odd choice for a Jedi, being a love song and all.

Everyone cheered, Cade giving me a huge smile and a thumbs-up, and I blushed hard, my cheeks probably the dark midnight blue of the sky. Much as I appreciated the support, they weren't exactly making things easier.

Chet shot them all a look, and they went quiet instantly.

I coughed, decided to keep sitting as opposed to standing up, and hummed a scale for a warm-up. Before I changed my mind and ran away as fast as I could go (like a smart person would), I launched into the song.

It had a sweet, uplifting melody that surprisingly helped me relax, as much as Chet's hand on my shoulder had. Singing in front of people really wasn't so bad, once you had the guts to do it.

No one said anything until I'd finished, just watched and listened. After I let the last note trail off, there was a moment of shocked silence. But before I started freaking out and made a run for the border, Torch spoke up.

* * *_** Chet **_* * *

"That was amazing," Torch said quietly. Everyone nodded in agreement, letting him voice what everyone felt.

The General twisted her hands together, blushing like crazy, and shot me a pleading look. Before she died of embarrassment, I took charge, taking the attention off her.

"Alrighty," I announced, standing up. "It's getting later and later, and we need an early start."

It was a tribute to how the song touched us all when everyone got up without a word of protest and started to head off to their bedrolls. Vick, shy young Vick, turned around.

"Can we do it again?" he asked.

The General smiled at him. "If you want," she promised. Vick beamed, and trotted off into the darkness.

She watched him go, her head tilted to the side, then turned to me. "Thanks," she whispered, violet eyes shining.

I shook my head. "Nope. Thank _you_, princess."

She smiled, her teeth flashing in the dark, then gracefully got to her feet and padded off.

I don't think she understood what exactly she did for us. Clones' lives are short and miserable, with rarely any room for fun or any kind of love at all. ARCs are a bit of an exception, since we got the independent gene and are more…unsupervised than normal troopers. But that doesn't mean we had got the good life; we needed breaks from a clone's life, too.

Music was one of the ways you can forget life for a few minutes. And when it was music from a wonderful, caring friend who had the voice of an angel, it was even better.

But, I reflected, it had side effects. Love…most clones had no idea of what the word meant. For the moment we were taken out of our test tubes, it was brutal war training until the moment we were deployed. And then it's brutal warfare, until you die.

Love. The kind in the General's song was the kind we'd never have, because we were _clones._ Human war machines.

It made me homesick for something I never had, and most likely never will.

I sighed to myself just as Mera came back with her bedroll draped around her shoulders.

I raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"Taking the watch so you guys can catch some zzz's," she said, plopping down in front of the lamp and pulling the edges of the blanket tighter around her shoulders.

"Oh, no! _I _take the first watch."

She narrowed her eyes. "This time, _I'm_ going to."

"You're the one who lifted _ten freaking grown men_ over a _twenty-foot wall_, and then walked miles to boot. You've got to be exhausted. You need way more sleep more than I do," I protested.

She glared at me. "I have the Force."

I snorted. "Uh-huh. You can run on Force juice for days and still be fit to fight."

She growled. "And you can run on nothing at all for days and still be fit to fight?"

We'd reached an impasse.

As we both tried to figure out ways to get the other to sleep, the wind blew and my stupid long hair flopped into my face again. I brushed it way impatiently, cursing Flash and his stupid dare. I'd probably just end up hacking it off with my knife, but I didn't want to slice myself open, either, so it would have to be still somewhat long…

The General eyed me triumphantly. "I'll give you a haircut," she said with the air of someone laying down a winning deck of cards, guessing correctly what was on my mind.

Oh my Force, a haircut? One that wouldn't look like a drunken nuna cut it? One that would stay out of my face and be done by someone who knew what she was doing? I could've hugged her, if she hadn't been blackmailing me.

"Low blow," I complained. "That's unfair!"

"Haircut _and_ cookies," she continued.

I moaned and pressed my hands over my ears. "Stop! Or…I'll…" What could I do in retaliation? Nothing came to mind…except for a brilliant idea. "Or I'll tickle you until you beg for mercy!"

"What the – how did you know I was ticklish?" she accused, scooting away from me.

"I didn't, until you confirmed it," I answered gleefully.

She groaned and face-palmed. "Now _that's_ unfair!"

"You know, I'm not going to let this go," I told her.

"I'm not going to, either," she replied, her chin set stubbornly.

We eyed each other for a minute, but neither of us was going to back down.

Behind us, someone cleared his throat uncomfortably. We both whipped around – I knew I was blushing, although I wasn't sure about the General – and there was Sparks, fidgeting nervously. He half-turned away, face set in a look that clearly conveyed, _Am I interrupting something?_

The General gathered herself with speed. "Hey, Sparks. What's up?"

He gestured at behind him at where everyone was curling up in their bedrolls, looking at us pointedly.

I immediately shook my head. "No way. You aren't watching for me. You need to get some sleep."

Sparks raised an eyebrow, meaning _So do you._

"Uh-uh. Not happening."

Sparks narrowed his eyes and jerked a finger over his shoulder in an unmistakable get-out-of-here gesture. He waved a hand at our faces, pointing out the shadows under our eyes.

I snuck a look at the General, who had her stubborn face on. It was undermined by the fact that she looked exhausted…Sparks was right, she needed sleep.

I nudged her. "Hey, he's right. Go catch some zzz's."

The General growled at me. "If I'm not taking watch, then you shouldn't either. You're just as tired as me! You've had late nights for how knows how long! Last week, some nights you didn't sleep at all!"

"Just because I go to sleep last doesn't mean I'm tired," I hissed.

She snorted, and I glared. "Hey -"

Sparks coughed again, and we turned our attention back to him. His arms were crossed, and he was tapping his foot.

I grumbled under my breath, but Sparks, on very rare occasions, could be almost as stubborn as I was, and I was in no mood for an argument with him – since he doesn't talk, he pretty much wins every time. He had a very intimidating, unblinking stare.

I could still win, if I put my mind to it, but it wasn't worth it.

I got to my feet. "C'mon, General. I'll give up the watch if you do."

I offered her my hand. She eyed it for a second, then took it with a sigh. "Fine. But only if you give up the watch."

"Fine."

"Fine."

As we walked past Sparks, I muttered, "This isn't over. I'm taking the watch tomorrow."

Sparks shrugged, a triumphant grin on his face, and sat down in front of the lantern.

The General's bedroll was on the outside of the group's, next to mine. We sat for a minute in silence, until I couldn't take it anymore. "…Can I still have the haircut?" I asked.

The General smiled at me. "Okay. You deserve it."

The breeze tugged at my hair again, whipping it into my face. I brushed it back with a growl as the General cracked up.

"More importantly," she gasped out, "you _need_ it!"

"Ha ha. Funny," I grumbled, and she laughed harder.

* * *_** Mera **_* * *

After another hour or so, I'd finally curled up in my bedroll, but despite the fact that my body was screeching "SLEEP!" at me, I still couldn't doze off. I felt guilty that Sparks was doing my job for me, and I was nervous that I'd have my nightmares again and start freaking out where everyone could hear. Just because I'd broken through my fears on top of the wall ramparts when we were escaping didn't mean they wouldn't come back to haunt me in my sleep. I hadn't had a nightmare in a while, but you never knew.

Chet had the same problem, I could tell – always twisting around, a few low, frustrated growls. After a moment, I gave up the pretense of sleep and whispered, "You awake?"

He turned to face me and sat up, rolling his shoulders. "Stupid armor's impossible to sleep in," he muttered.

I sat up myself, drawing my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. I made a sympathetic noise.

Chet shrugged. "On the other hand, it's saved my life more times than I can remember, so it's a win-lose thing."

"Good point."

Silence.

"What about you?" Chet asked. "You okay?"

"Meh, the usual."

He studied my face. "If you're scared about having a nightmare, Princess, I'll wake you up if you look like you're having one," he offered.

Aww. My heart warmed. Chet was such an awesome friend…I shook my head. "Thanks, but I couldn't keep you up."

Chet folded his arms. "You really do need sleep."

"I'll be okay for a night."

Chet eyed me, gauging his chances of winning the argument, but he could tell this was one fight he couldn't win. He rubbed a hand over his face. "Lex is going to kill me," he mumbled. "Fine. If you're staying up, then I'm staying up."

"You sure?"

He nodded.

I couldn't stop a smile. "Okay."

We sat together, not talking so everyone else could continue sleeping. After a few hours, though, just before dawn, despite a monumental effort poor Chet could barely keep his eyes open. I used the Force to keep most of my exhaustion at bay, but Chet was on his own and about to fall asleep. I wasn't going to put him though more sleepless agony just so I could have a companion, so I started to hum, a slow tune that was (ironically) a lullaby.

He was snoring in seconds, sleeping sitting up.

It was impressive that he'd managed to last as long as he had; despite his denial, he'd been just as tired as I was. I hummed the last few bars and smiled.

Chet was a great guy, despite his stubbornness issues. He was an awesome friend…

I yawned and blinked owlishly, then caught myself. I wasn't going to fall asleep. No way, no how. Especially now that it was almost morning! I'd nearly made it…just another hour or so…

I yawned again.

No! Not going to fall asleep…not going to fall asleep…not going…to…

* * *_** Chet **_* * *

My eyes flickered open just as dawn started. I blinked, confused – it wasn't this bright out a second ago…

Realization hit me. Oh, snap! I'd fallen asleep. The General would never let me hear the end of it!

I groaned, then became aware of a weight on my shoulder. I looked over, and my heart nearly stopped.

The General was sleeping on my shoulder. _The General_ was sleeping on _my shoulder_. The General was _sleeping_ on my shoulder?

Her pale feathers, splayed over my shoulder plate, shimmered as she twitched and sighed. I'd never seen her look so much at peace, except for when she sang…she looked so small…beautiful too…

I realized I had a goofy smile on my face and quickly got rid of it. Unfortunately, the warm tingly feeling refused to be squashed.

What the heck was wrong with me?

Oh, dear. If the rest of the squad found her like this…I quickly looked around, but everyone was still asleep. I slipped my hand under the General's head and gently lifted it off my shoulder, carefully lowering her down onto her bedroll. She curled up in a ball and grinned in her sleep.

After a few minutes, I realized that I was still watching her (the sunrise made her blue skin and light fathers glow) and that the goofy grin had snuck back.

I'll say it again: _what was wrong with me?_

I tore myself away and got to my feet, shaking myself to regain circulation. Time to wake up the guys and all that.

The next time I had a few minutes to myself, I'd see if I could ask Lex for a diagnosis. Maybe he'd know why I was feeling off.

Off in a good sort of way, but still off.

**Choking. On. Fluff! Sorry, but I needed it in there. The next chapter will be definitly more action-y, so hopefully that'll make up for it! And after the next two chapters, Chet will finally be able to get his 'diagnosis'...haha. Please review :)**


	19. Attack of the Steev

**Here's Chapter 17 :) Enjoy!**

**_Attack of the Steev _**

* * *_** Chet **_* * *

I decided I'd let the General sleep and wake up the guys first. After I managed to get them all on their feet and preparing to move out (and it took me a good fifteen minutes), I walked over to her and I gave her a gentle shake.

"Meh, ten more hours," she mumbled. "Go 'way, Master…"

I stifled a laugh and shook her again. Her eyelids flickered, and she waved a hand. I almost yelped as a light Force-shove gave me a push in the opposite direction. I walked back and shook her, this time adding something I was sure would get her up.

"Wakey wakey, Princess," I whisper-sang.

The General unwillingly opened her eyes and narrowed them at me. Still half-asleep, she growled, "I thought I told you notta call me that…"

I grinned. "Since when have I ever listened to directions?"

She yawned and blinked, waking up more. "Good point." She massaged her neck, and I felt a twinge of pity and guilt - a hard shoulder plate doesn't make the most comfortable of pillows. She rubbed her face with a sigh.

"Sparks had nothing to report," I assured her.

She nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Thanks for waking me up."

I smiled again, that warm glow spreading though my chest. "Anytime, Princess."

She slugged me in the shoulder, then winced, shaking her hand - armor's not fun to whack. "Stop calling me that, Soldier Boy!"

I laughed and hauled her to her feet.

She stretched for a few seconds, muscles flexing under her jumpsuit, then popped her back with a crackle that had Lex wincing.

"Sorry," the General apologized sheepishly. "The ground was really hard."

And my shoulder plate. I grimaced again - her neck had to be killing her. Why had I let her fall asleep on it?

Oh yeah. I'd been asleep too. Still, though, it had hurt her…

Lex nodded in acceptance of her apology, then finished neatly folding his bedroll – he was the only one who really bothered with tidiness. Flash, for instance, had his rolled into a wrinkled ball and stuffed into his pack with one corner dangling out.

The General tucked her blanket into her duffel bag and straightened up. Without looking, she reached out a hand and steadied a yawing Torch. "Alrighty, boys. Let's roll."

"You heard the lady," I said, putting on my bucket – or helmet in military lingo. "Besides, nothing gets the blood flowing better than a nice morning walk."

Darek and Flash groaned.

* * *_** Mera**_* * *

Military sarcasm for you – our hike was anything but a nice morning walk. The flat, rocky ground that seemed to stretch as far as you could see in every direction soon changed to flat, rocky ground bordered by massive, rocky gray canyon walls. Last night, we'd been able to see the canyon as a darker smudge on a black horizon, but by midday, they seemed to suddenly pop up out of the ground. According to Scout, this was the fastest way to the slave compounds (if not the safest, some of the canyon walls looked like breathing on them would topple them over).

So of course we take the dangerous route.

Before long, though, I was really wishing we hadn't. Chills raced up and down my spine, and when Cade accidentally kicked a rock, I nearly jumped out of my skin.

Something was wrong about this place. Like, really wrong.

I wasn't the only one that felt it, either.

"I don't like this," Vick mumbled, eyeing the rocks like they wanted to eat him.

Cade was staring at the walls nervously too, but of course he looked on the bright side. "Well, at least there's lots of places to sleep," he said, waving a hand at all the caves lining the walls.

Chet, walking beside me, snorted. "If whatever lives in there doesn't eat us first," he muttered, his hands hovering near his handguns.

"Optimism _is_ a little out of touch with life," I whispered to him.

"Too unrealistic," Chet agreed with a smile.

Flash and Darek, walking in front of us and playing I Spy (Flash proclaimed it as entertainment that doubled as watching for things that wanted to eat them), looked back at us and beamed. They looked almost exactly the same – with their helmets on, you couldn't see their distinctive hair colors. The two things you could tell them apart by were the grinning Nexu head on Flash's right shoulder and the saber cat head on Darek's. Tally marks over their chests represented the number of successful missions they'd been on, but they both had the same amount.

"Congratulations," Flash said with a grin.

"You're talking in turn!" Darek told us brightly.

"Just like us!" Flash finished.

Chet rolled his eyes. "Yay."

"Hey, is that sarcasm I detect?" Flash asked.

"Do you want your helmet to be full of whipped cream again?" Darek scolded.

Chet shuddered. "Nope. I'm good."

"Then say it like you mean it!" Flash ordered.

"Yay!" Chet cheered quietly, voice full of fake joy.

"It'll do for now," Darek sighed, and they turned back to their game. "Let's see. I spy…something gray."

"A rock. My turn…I spy something…hard."

"A rock."

"No fair," Flash complained. "All that's on this planet to spy _are_ rocks."

"It's not my fault! You're the one who suggested we play I Spy!"

"You didn't have any suggestions yourself! Besides, you agreed to play."

"I was bored out of my mind!" Darek retorted.

I had to cover my mouth with my hand to stop a laugh from escaping. What came out instead was a kind of strangled snort.

"If they're bugging you, I'll tell them to shut it," Chet said quietly.

I smiled at him. "Thanks, but it's okay."

Chet had his helmet on, but I could tell he was grinning back under it, with that crooked smile he had – the left side rising up a little higher than the right – and his green eyes dancing. My heart skipped a beat.

After a minute, I realized I was still smiling at him, and that he hadn't looked away from me either. Chet got it at the same time I did, and we both quickly glanced away from each other, me humming nervously and Chet coughing. Awkward silence…

And why the heck was I blushing?

Before I had a chance to think on that, Flash and Darek distracted me.

"Hey, look at that thing," Flash called, pointing to a very odd-shaped boulder pile. A big, craggy rock over three times as tall as Chet that had a small stone, about the size of a melon, perched on top of it. In fact, if you tilted your head to the side a bit, it looked like some kind of huge…beast-creature-thingie.

A beast-creature-thingie sitting in wait for unsuspecting travelers. My Jedi alarm bells started to clang.

Oh, snap.

"Chet, tell the guys to stop over your helmet links and to be silent," I told him quietly. He nodded and pressed two fingers to the side of his helmet, relaying my message. Gamma Squad froze instantly, guns brought to ready position in case of trouble.

I closed my eyes and extended my consciousness, reaching out tentatively towards the rock pile. Like stretching out a hand to touch something, but with my mind. Just because I'd never heard of rock monsters didn't mean they didn't exist.

Small sparks of light that were the tiny rock lizards and beetles scurrying around in the cliffs dotted the Force, along with the larger, brighter signatures of my squad that pulsed with worry, alertness, and determination. I reached further, and brushed up against a mind not as small and insignificant as the rock lizards', but not as complex and unique as those of my squad's.

Semi-sentient, that was the word. I dug a little deeper into its mind. Maybe it was friendly?

_Hungry._

I shivered. The thought echoed with a gravelly undertone in the Force, not so much an actual word than a feeling of near starvation.

_Food. Coming. Hungry…_

Interesting, it used vibrations in the ground to sense prey. It had next to no hearing, sight or smell. It was somewhat confused now, since we'd stopped moving. It knew we were there, but it couldn't figure out why we were no longer coming. A sense of patience filled it – it would wait as long as it needed too. It knew that the only way thought the passage was past it.

I delved further into its thoughts.

_Hungry… _

The creature was driven entirely by its need for food, and we were next on the menu. Nope, definitely not friendly.

I quickly pulled back, retreating from its ravenous mind to my safe, familiar one with a relieved shudder, and opened my eyes. Chet was standing right next to me, ready to start blasting something to pieces.

"Plan?" he asked quietly.

I jerked a finger at the rock pile that was actually a man-eating monster. "That thing thinks we're food."

"The…rock pile?" Flash asked, confused.

"It's not a rock pile."

"Oh."

Scout scanned the cliffs. "Well, we can't climb the rock face. It's too eroded by the constant rain - too flaky. Unless you want to fall to your death, climbing's out."

"And we can't exactly go under," Flash added.

"Or over," Darek finished.

I shrugged. "Guess that means we go through it. Plan A is I'm going to try to convince it to move away or let us pass."

"And if that doesn't work?" Lex asked.

I slipped my lightsaber out of my belt, rubbing my palm against its ridged black handgrip. "Then we'll do what we have to do," I replied, proud that my voice barely quivered. I really didn't want to kill it, it was starving for food, but if we had no choice…

Chet reached out and gave my shoulder a comforting squeeze as Lex nodded. "Understood."

I closed my eyes again and stepped outside my mind, making my way to the rock monster's. _Not food,_ I whispered through the Force.

It was confused; what was that? But _food_ caught its attention.

_Hungry. Yes food,_ it insisted.

I nudged its mind again, which was hard – it was totally focused on getting a meal, making its brain slippery and hard to grasp. _Step outside the canyon,_ I tried.

_No. Food coming, _it repeated.

Anger was rising in it, a deep, primal instinct. Who was trying to steal its meal? It growled deep in its throat. It would defend its prey from thieves to the last breath.

I quickly stepped back, shaking myself to get rid of the thing's urge to rip, tear, kill. "Reasoning with it is not going to work," I reported. "It's just too driven, too starved."

"Calling it 'it' is getting confusing," Flash muttered.

"What do you suggest?" Chet asked, sounding exasperated. If he hadn't been wearing his helmet, he would've been pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Let's call it Steev," Flash suggested.

Darek bit back a snort. "_Steev_?"

Flash glared. "At least we know what we're talking about now. And 'Steev' is much less threatening-sounding than 'it' or 'rock monster'."

"Alright," I agreed. "Steev it is."

Ace hefted his rifle. "What's the plan?" he asked impatiently.

I rolled my shoulders. "Aggressive negotiations."

"What?" Chet asked, his voice alarmed. "Wait a second -"

Too late. I was sprinting for the…well, Steev, dipping into the Force to make me faster and running light enough that Steev wouldn't be able to really sense that I was coming. "Don't worry," I called over my shoulder. I leaped into the air, activating lightsaber as I did and sweeping it over my head. I landed perfectly right behind Steev's melon-head and sliced downward. "Lightsabers can cut through -"

My violet blade skated right off Steev's craggy, rock-like skin. I turned the momentum behind my attack into a twirl so I wouldn't be thrown off, and gaped at the back of Steev's neck in shock. Not even singed. "Well, almost anything," I finished weakly.

Nothing could deflect a lightsaber, except for Mandalorian iron…and, apparently, Steev-skin. Go figure.

And I wasn't the only one surprised. There was a stunned silence form my squad, then Flash broke the quiet. "Well, that was unexpected," he said faintly.

Chet was the first to through off the astonishment. "Get down," he yelled, sounding scared.

Steev wasn't too pleased, either. He lurched out of the crouching position he'd been curled into with a bone-shaking roar. Bits of shale, some as big as plates, broke off from the canyon walls and fell, smashing apart as they hit the ground. Rock piles toppled over and shattered.

Caught off guard, I tumbled off Steev's back with a startled yelp. Chet shouted something, but I couldn't hear what it was over Steev expressing his rage in the loudest way possible.

I quickly turned my free-fall into a flip, and landed on my feet instead of my head. As my squad raced up to me, I shook my hair out of my eyes and brushed off some stone shards. The rip-resistant fabric of my jumpsuit protected me from most off the shattering rocks, but I still had a good-sized slice down my left arm.

I glared up at Steev, all my sympathy gone, and pinched the fabric of my jumpsuit back together. "Now it's personal," I muttered.

Steev was _so_ going down.

**Some action for ya. More in the next chapter :) As to why Flash and Darek were playing I Spy out of all things, a) some clones had a child-like side because of their forced accelerated growth, b) it's Flash and Darek, and c) severe boredom will do strange things to people. **


	20. Of Jedi and Battle Stunts

**Well, not my most creative title, but I'm finally back! Whoo!******** Now that summer's started and things have died down a bit, I can finally get back to writing; I'll start updating every other week or so again. Sorry it took so long! Hope you enjoy :)**

_**Of Jedi and Battle Stunts**_

* * *_** Chet **_* * *

I've been in way more than my share of near-death experiences. But none of them scared me as bad as seeing the General loose her footing on Steev's back and topple though the air.

Time froze as a mental image of her sprawled all broken on the ground flashed across my eyes. I think my heart stopped.

I started racing after her with a half-formed thought in my head to catch her, and I don't think I've even run so fast - I left Scout in the dust, and he's by far the quickest.

Praise the Force, though, the General had it well in hand. She tucked into a flip and landed lightly on her feet, tossing her feathers out of her face.

I skidded to a stop next to her, chest heaving. With the fastest sprint I'd ever run came the biggest stitch I'd ever had.

Once I found my voice, I said the first thing that came to mind. "ARE YOU MENTAL?"

She blinked at me, taken aback, and I instantly felt guilty. Before I thought about what I was doing, I reached out and hugged her – surprising both her and me. Just as I was about to let go, though, she wrapped her arms around me too, pressing her face against my chest plate. I could feel her shaking, and I hugged her tighter to try to help. Guess free-falling can scare even Jedi. Go figure.

But I wasn't quite finished scolding her yet. "Don't you _ever_ scare me like that again," I growled. "Are you okay?"

She nodded and pulled back. I reluctantly let her go.

The rest of the squad pulled up behind us, only a few seconds behind me. Back to the rock monster that wants to eat us.

"What's the plan?" I asked.

She activated her lightsaber again, coughing from the dust and smoke. My stomach lurched – us clones were fine, since we had helmets, but she didn't. What would it do to her?

"I'll try to find a weak spot. You boys distract him," the General wheezed.

Running low to the ground, she whipped around and raced for Steev, who had turned around and was slowly lumbering towards us on massive legs. We started providing cover fire.

The General darted under his belly and swiped at his stomach, but Steev just roared louder (displaying a mouthful of nasty-looking fangs and emphasizing his massive underbite) and tried to stomp her, freaking me out more than words can describe. His big foot missed her by a hair as she backpedaled quickly and slashed at his legs, but her 'saber just skated right off Steev's skin.

"Uh, this thing doesn't (cough) have a weak spot (cough)!" she yelled, flinging the blade up into the air to cut at Steev's arm. It slid off without even a scorch mark and she called it back to her with the Force.

"Try shooting its eyes!" I ordered my squad.

Ace aimed carefully and fired, hitting the right eye while Scout (after a few tries) blasted the left. Steev bellowed in pain, massive hands wiping at his eyes that were crying black tears of blood, and barreled blindly at us (normally, I'd have wondered how the heck Steev knew where we were with his eyes gone, but this was NOT normal). Before, he'd been taking his time, waiting for us to make a mistake, but Steev was taking matters into his own hands now.

The General zipped back to us, breathing hard, appearing out of the smoke (from our blasters) and rock power (courtesy of Steev and his habit of throwing things at us). I tossed her my second handgun so she'd have some way of defending herself, and she caught it easily, hooking her lightsaber back onto her belt.

"We shot his eyes," Ace growled. "Now what?"

"We RUN!" Torch shrieked as Steev, roaring angrily, picked up a boulder and threw it at us – with us small infuriating creatures not dead in the first swipe, he wasn't fast enough to kill us otherwise. I grabbed the General's hand and yanked her with me as we scattered, the rock soaring over our heads and smashing to the ground where we'd been standing a heartbeat before.

The General, panting, looked up at me and squeezed my hand. Her big violet eyes were even larger than normal, and one off-white feather had slipped out of her bun and was tracing the curve of her face. She was funny, strong, brave, fun, nice, one of the best people I knew…Beautiful, too… Thank the Force for my helmet, she couldn't see me blushing.

"Thanks," the General whispered, cautiously peering around the rock we'd hid behind. Her body started shaking from the coughing she was trying to hold back.

A jolt of worry shooting though me, I nodded. "No prob," I muttered back.

She smiled at me, then, holding her gun at the ready, she whipped back into the open, with me a half-step behind her.

"YEE-HAW!" Flash whooped, flinging his legs over his own boulder-used-for-cover and racing back into the fray, Darek dashing in beside him.

Vick and Torch poked their heads out from the cave they and Sparks had hidden in. "Down, guys!" Torch hollered. We all ducked as Sparks' head and arm peeped out next to Torch's. Sparks flung a small metal hemisphere up into the air, but just before it hit Steev, it was knocked aside by yet another rock the thing threw at us. Vick yelped, Torch eeped and Sparks' eyes went huge as they quickly withdrew their heads, Steev's boulder smashing into the canyon wall just to the left of their cave. The General hesitated, torn.

"We're fine, just shaken up," Vick reported breathlessly. "Forget about us!"

The General nodded, even though she couldn't see them, and flicked a hand at Sparks' grenade, which was still flying off course. Beeping, it corrected itself with a little Force usage and hit Steev smack in the chest. Four triangular flaps attached it securely to Steev's skin, and as the beeping sped up and stopped, it let loose with a wave of electricity. Blue lightening arched across Steev, but apparently his thick hide protected him from getting shocked as well as blaster shots and lightsaber blows.

"Doesn't this thing _die_?" Torch screamed.

"Apparently not," Scout yelled back.

"All things have a weakness!" Lex called.

"All we've gotta do is find it!" Cad encouraged, lurching sideways to avoid another of Steev's missiles.

Steev roared again, and from the way the General's eyes widened and the slow smile that spread across her face, I knew she had a plan.

"Make him open his mouth again!" she shouted in between bits of coughing. "Get it mad!"

"That's my specialty," Flash announced proudly.

"Hey! Everyone knows I'm more annoying than you!" Darek protested.

"Guys! Let's focus here," I pleaded. "Just…make it mad!"

"And move lightly and quickly (cough), it'll confuse Steev," the General called over her shoulder as she disappeared back into the smoke. "He senses things through ground vibrations!"

Aah. That explains how he knows where we are with no eyes.

"Make it mad. Gotcha, boss-man," Flash said with a sigh. Then he and Darek did their ritual thingy - a secret handshake that was really a work of art, they spent hours practicing it – and with a whoop, they sped towards Steev, guns blazing and rocks flying, moving erratically in no direction or pattern whatsoever.

Steev might be oblivious to pain, but he noticed when a good-sized pebble thunked him rather hard on the forehead. Letting out a surprised grunt, he moved his head from side to side in confusion, unable to pinpoint where exactly Flash and Darek were, his thick, massive arms holding a rock over himself.

"Yah! Big and ugly!" Flash jeered.

"Melon-head!" Darek taunted.

"Over here!"

"No, here!"

Steev didn't seem to really get what they were saying, but Flash and Darek were doing what they do best – causing distraction and pure frustration.

Steev lifted his rock higher and roared. The General appeared out of the smoke in mid-jump, yelling an indistinct battle cry, and shot directly into Steev's open maw.

Steev jerked backwards, his suddenly limp arms dropping his boulder as he toppled over backwards, causing a mini earthquake. Ironically, his rock fell on right top of him a second after he crash-landed.

The General, breathing hard, landed in a crouch, the nozzle of her gun smoking. "Not so blaster-proof on the inside, are ya?" she panted, and broke into a coughing fit, her hand pressed to her mouth. A trickle of blood appeared between her fingers, and my breath caught.

I raced to her side and slipped an arm under hers, gently tugging her up. Lex ran up behind me and took her other side. "Get her out of the debris!" he ordered, and with the squad on our heels, got as quickly out of that blasted canyon as we could.

* * *_** Mera **_* * *

I was starting to panic – I couldn't get any air into my lungs in, which led to more coughing, and even less oxygen. Chet and Lex dragged me out of the smoke and dust, and once we'd made it out of the canyon, Lex let go of my arm and dropped his pack, searching through its contents as Chet rubbed soothing circles on my back. His worry radiated out in the Force like a neon sign without me even trying to sense it.

The clear air helped, but I still couldn't breathe. I wrapped my arms around my middle as I doubled over. Tears were streaming down my face and dripped to the ground.

Lex found was he was looking for – an oxygen tank and mask, and quickly strapped it on as black spots swarmed my vision. I gulped the air frantically as my coughing gradually stopped. Chet kept rubbing, which actually helped me relax quite a bit.

"You coughed hard enough to break a capillary," Lex explained. Chet snatched a cloth from him and wiped the blood off my hand before Lex could do it himself. "That's why you're coughing up blood. You'll be fine."

"Good," I rasped. "Everyone good?"

There was a chorus of yes's, and then the rest of the squad, clustered around us, added their own comments.

"That was absolutely wicked," Flash and Darek said in unsion.

Vick shuffled his feet. "Glad you're okay," he mumbled with a shy grin. Sparks nodded in agreement.

Ace shouldered his rifle. "Good thing you didn't die," he said gruffly. "Or Chet here would've been absolutely crushed."

Chet flushed and muttered something under his breath, socking Ace in the ribs.

Torch patted me on the back gingerly. "Good going, boss-girl."

I rolled my eyes. "C'mon, I'm not made of glass," I teased.

Torch blushed as Cade threw in his two cents. "At least now we know what to do if we meet up with anymore with Steevs," he said brightly.

Ace pulled a face as Torch rolled his eyes and Flash and Darek sighed.

"What?" Cade asked in confusion, and we all laughed.

I took off the oxygen mask, ignoring Lex's sound of protest, and got to my feet, brushing myself off. There was a collective hiss of air, and I blinked. "What?"

"Uh…you're sorta bleeding, General," Torch pointed out.

I twisted my head to the side and peered at my arm. Blood was oozing form the long cut some sharp stone shard made. "Huh. What do you know. I'd forgotten about that." And of course remembering about it made me realize the pain. I winced. "Ouch."

"Why the Force didn't you tell me about that?" Lex griped. He put a hand on my shoulder and gently shoved me back into a sitting position. "You're not getting anywhere until I bandage that. And put that mask back on!"

I sighed and put the mask back on.

* * *_** Chet **_* * *

Once Lex was sure that the General wasn't going to keel over and die we got back on the road. Thank the Force, her cut hadn't been too bad – long and deep, but it could've been way worse. Like, no-more-arm worse. And Lex had been able to patch it up quickly. Still, though, I'd been freaking out – the General bleeding, hurt, made my fists clench with a burning desire to kill Steev (yes, I was aware that he was already dead) and my heart pound with a throat-choking fear.

Odd, considering I never reacted that strongly to any other injury, mine or not. But before I could think too deeply on it, I was distracted. Flash, of course, was being Flash.

"You were wise to seek help form the world's deadliest weapon," he told the General, referring to his and Darek's two-man charge to make Steev mad. "And if any more Steevs show their ugly faces, I'm gonna – AHH!"

Ace, rolling his eyes, had had enough. He'd nudged an unstable-looking rock with the butt of his rifle, and it rolled onto its side with a CRASH not unlike the noise Steev stomping around. Flash had dived behind Darek with a yelp.

"Deadliest weapon, huh?" Torch choked out, cracking up.

Flash, blushing, stepped out from behind Darek (who was shooting him a death glare with his arms crossed over his chest). "Oh, shut it, Torch," he muttered sheepishly.

The General laughed, with that high, musical bell-like laugh Omwati make, and I smiled. It was a pretty sound, one that made me want to make her laugh again.

Ookay. I'm sorry that I keep saying it, but WHAT THE FORCE WAS WRONG WITH ME? I'd never felt like this before. Heck, I didn't even know what _this_ was! What was it about the General that made her so special?

Lex would know. I grabbed onto that like a drowning guy reaching for a lifesaver. Lex would know. He could help me figure things out.

Because there was no way I was going to ask the General herself. That would be just a tad bit awkward.

"Chet? You okay?" the General asked, looking at me in concern.

I mentally shook myself. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good."

She was still looking at me weirdly. "Okay. If you say so," she said softly.

I grinned at her, even though she couldn't see it through my helmet. "I'm good," I said, and meant it this time.

**So...what do you think? Not my greatest chapter, but I haven't been able to write in forever. Review please!**


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